A police officer could face disciplinary action over a bungled attempted murder inquiry in Northern Ireland, it emerged today.
The inquiry into a suspected sectarian beating in Larne, Co Antrim, which left the victim brain-damaged, contained a series of investigative errors, a report found.
Although two men were charged with trying to kill Catholic man Gerald McRandal, (33) in October 2002, the trial collapsed 15 months later.
The suspects walked free following the withdrawal of eight witnesses and the failure of a police officer to disclose an unofficial notebook she used on the night of the attack.
Police also failed to seal off the crime scene in the immediate aftermath.
Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan has called for disciplinary action to be taken against one officer involved in the inquiry and recommended another undergo additional training.
She said: "While many aspects of the police investigation were conducted with due rigour, the initial police response was inadequate and a number of serious investigative errors occurred.
"In particular, the failure to cordon off and protect the scene following the attack was a major failing and rendered any evidence from the scene virtually worthless.
"This was compounded by the fact that police failed to inform defence solicitors about an unofficial notebook containing information central to the case," Ms O'Loan said.
"It is clear that while these investigative failures did not on their own cause the collapse of the attempted murder trial, they did further weaken a case in which eight key witnesses had already withdrawn their evidence," she said.
The PSNI today said it had not yet received the Police Ombudsman's report.
PA