Police used wire tap - mother

The evidence compiled for the prosecution of Elaine Moore included a transcript of a wire tap carried out by an undercover policewoman…

The evidence compiled for the prosecution of Elaine Moore included a transcript of a wire tap carried out by an undercover policewoman who visited her London apartment as a prospective tenant, Ms Moore's mother has claimed. Mrs Cathy Moore said the policewoman, who used the name Nicky, called to her daughter's apartment two days before her arrest.

"Elaine and a friend were renting a two-bedroomed apartment, and the landlord had said that if either tenant moved out, they would have to find a replacement. Her flatmate found an apartment nearer to his job, so Elaine advertised the vacancy in an accommodation letting agency.

"A few people had looked at the apartment when a young Welsh woman named Nicky came to visit it. " `Nicky' told Elaine how delighted she would be to share the apartment with her and paid a deposit of over £1,300 upfront. "She asked if she could move her stuff in over the weekend. Elaine gave her a key to the apartment because she was going to Oxford straight from work on Thursday.

"The policewoman had the keys from Wednesday and knew there would be no one in the apartment on Thursday night. I feel the police must have gone through the apartment on Thursday, even though I have no proof," Mrs Moore said. "From the very beginning I felt Elaine never should have been charged. Her solicitor felt that the police believed her, but in the end whether or not to prosecute is not their decision."

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Asked if she was angry at the police tactics, Mrs Moore replied: "All I feel for the moment is relief that it's all over. I'm just so happy to go over and collect her that it's all I'm capable of thinking about now. I won't really believe it until we get off the plane together and they say `Welcome to Dublin'."

Roddy O'Sullivan

Roddy O'Sullivan

Roddy O'Sullivan is a Duty Editor at The Irish Times