STOREY FUNERAL: Police probe into alleged rule breaches concluded

The Deputy First Minister was among those interviewed.

June 30th: A crowd was pictured listening to former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams speak during the funeral of former leading IRA figure Bobby Storey.
Author: Sarah MckinleyPublished 17th Dec 2020

Police have finished an investigation into potential breaches of covid-19 rules at the funeral of Bpbby Storey on June 30th.

24 people were interviewed about the highly attended event, after the veteran republican passed away this Summer.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill was one of those interviewees - the Sinn Fein Stormont Leader's attendance at the funeral sparked a political fallout in the summer.

Leading the probe was Cumbria Police Deputy Chief Constable Mark Webster.

"We have now interviewed 24 individuals suspected of having breached the regulations and a file will be submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) on Friday 18th December 2020,'' he said.

"I will not be making any further comment so as not to prejudice any future decision made by the PPS."

Mr Webster was appointed to independently examine the sequence of events surrounding the funeral on June 30 and alleged breaches of the coronavirus regulations.

DUP MLA Mervyn Storey welcomed the conclusion of the investigation, saying: "After months of unexplained and unacceptable delays, this announcement is a welcome development.

"No one is above the law. We must all be equal under the law.''