Derry policeman Peadar Heffron left in a wheelchair for life after car bomb attack
REVEALED: The Police Ombudsman has completed its probe into a complaint from an informant against the PSNI over the murder bid on Catholic officer Peadar Heffron.
The covert source claimed the PSNI’s ‘C3’ Intelligence Branch missed a vital clue which could have thwarted the car bomb attack on Creggan-born Mr Heffron.
Just a few weeks before the no-warning booby-trap car bomb exploded, ‘C3’ were warned by the informant of a pending attack.
The source – codenamed ‘Agent Juliet’ – revealed to his ‘C3’ handlers that Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH) were planning an attack at ‘Milltown’.
However, within hours of the bomb detonating under Peadar Heffron’s car as it travelled along the Milltown Road, Randalstown, Co Antrim, ‘Agent Juliet’ was contacted by one of his police handlers who confessed: That’s the only Milltown we missed.
It was an alarming admission from the ‘C3’ detective that Milltown Road was overlooked as a possible attack on the 38-year-old Irish speaking officer who was based at Woodbourne police station in west Belfast.
He was captain of the PSNI’s GAA team and before joining the police had played for Creggan Kickhams team.
In June 2014, it was revealed that Peadar Heffron’s case was one of 40 that the Police Ombudsman threatened to go to court over after the PSNI had refused Dr Michael Maguire access to high grade intelligence files.
Ombudsman investigators wanted access to the Heffron file to check to see if ‘C3’ had acted fully on the information received from ‘Agent Juliet’ or if the information was too vague to pinpoint him as the intended target.
‘C3’ department told Ombudsman investigators that the source believed the attack was to take place near Milltown cemetery in west Belfast.
Following the court threat, the PSNI top brass relented and agreed to open their files on a ‘case by case’ basis.
Now in a letter to ‘Agent Juliet’, which has been seen by Derry Daily, the Police Ombudsman says it has finished its inquiries into his complaint.
A senior investigator wrote: “A comprehensive report in relation to your complaints is currently being prepared for the attention of the PSNI’s Service Improvement Department (SID) and the Police Ombudsman’s Senior Management Team (SMT).’’
Peadar Heffron miraculously survived the UCBT attack but was left with horrific injuries: he lost one leg, sustained massive lacerations to his abdomen and is now confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
After a lengthy legal battle to win an injury on duty compensation award, he was finally medically discharged from the PSNI in April this year.
The police informant went to the Ombudsman in September 2012 saying he believed the attack on Peadar Heffron could have been prevented.
He told investigators that a week before Christmas 2009, he warned his handlers of a pending bomb attack on police officers by Oglaigh na hEireann (ONH).
‘Agent Juliet’ – a deep cover police source for more than a decade – stated that the attack would take place in an area known as ‘Milltown’ and disclosed the names of those who would be involved in the operation.
Although sketchy, ‘C3’ set about checking out all available locations in the province that matched the ‘Milltown’ name.
However, on Friday, January 8, 2010, Peadar Heffron, jumped aboard his blue two-door Alfa Romeo car.
As he travelled along the Milltown Road in Randalstown, an UCBT device, charged with a quantity of high-powered Semtex explosives, detonated beneath the driver’s side of his car.
At 6.30pm that Friday night, ‘Agent Juliet’ was contacted by his ‘C3’ handler.
‘Agent Juliet’ was told: “The balloon has gone up on this morning’s attack and I need to go over everything you gave us again in case we missed something.”
Asked why, ‘Agent Juliet’ was told: “Peadar Heffron was seriously injured this morning and it doesn’t look good for him. He might not make it.”
Then the handler allegedly admitted: “We checked out every Milltown in Northern Ireland but we missed the Milltown in Randalstown. I just want to check with you that we didn’t miss anything.’’
‘Agent Juliet’ told Derry Daily: “I was really angry. I thought that by giving them this information that this attack could have been prevented. It is obvious to me they didn’t do their homework well enough.”
‘Agent Juliet’ said he felt “very angry” that he could not have prevented the attack as he had planned.
According to the police source, dissident republicans in ONH had been targeting Peadar Heffron for over a month before the lethal attack.
He said that ONH units in Belfast and east Tyrone had pulled resources to gather information on Constable Heffron’s movements using taxi drivers as ‘watchers’ and also plant the device under his Alfa Romeo car.
Added ‘Agent Juliet’: “Peadar Heffron was a sitting duck. He didn’t know anything was going to happen to him. He deserves answers.’’
(ENDS)
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