The Police Ombudsman's Office launched an investigation into a collision between a police car and a stolen Ford Escort on the main Downpatrick to Saintfield road, after receiving a complaint that the crash had been caused deliberately by police.
The accident happened shortly before 9am on Sunday April 15 2001, when the stolen Escort crashed into a bus shelter near the Killybawn Road. All four occupants of the car were injured, three of them seriously. The RUC reported the incident to the Office of the Police Ombudsman.
The Office also received a complaint from one of those who had been in the car, alleging that a police Vauxhall Vectra had rammed the stolen car, causing it to leave the road and collide with the bus shelter.
Police Ombudsman staff conducted a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. This included taking statements from witnesses, reviewing police documentation and commissioning an independent forensic report.
Outcome of investigation:
The Police Ombudsman, Mrs Nuala O'Loan, concluded that there was "a clear lack of evidence to support any criminal or disciplinary element to the allegation."
"The independent forensic report concluded that the only damage or damage marks on either car which could be directly attributed to aggressive driving was on the part of the driver of the stolen vehicle, in that this vehicle was turned in towards the offside of the police vehicle whilst the two were travelling side by side," said Mrs O'Loan.
The person who made the complaint and the others in the stolen car were notified of the Police Ombudsman's findings.