Independent review recommended for investigation into murdered teenager
An independent review has been recommended of the police investigation into the murder of a teenager in Co Tyrone in 1973.
It comes after the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland found 'numerous failings' in how police handled the case, and just eight documented contacts with police and 18-year-old Marian Beattie's family.
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It also found that the three suspects had paramilitary links, and two were former police officers.
The Police Ombudsman's chief executive, Hugh Hume, said Ms Beattie's family did not receive the service they deserved from the police.
Hadden's Quarry in Aughnacloy where the body of Marian Beattie was found (PSNI/PA)
Ms Beattie's partially clothed body was found at the bottom of a quarry.
She had been attending a charity dance at Hadden's Garage in Aughnacloy on March 30th, 1973, to listen to her brother playing in the band.
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The teenager was last seen leaving the dance with a young man just after 1am and walking in the direction of Hadden's Quarry.
No one has ever been charged or convicted over her murder.
In 2017, then Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable George Hamilton referred the case to the Police Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman investigation found that police failed to ensure that all lines of inquiry were progressed, that all suspects were interviewed, that all alibis were checked, and that discrepancies between some suspects' accounts and other evidence were examined.
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An independent review has been recommended.
Mr Hume said they found organisational and systemic failings.
'In 50-plus years after her murder, up until earlier this year, there were only eight documented contacts between the police and the family,' he said.
'It is understandable that they have lost confidence and trust in the police,' he said.
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'Although our inquiries found no evidence of individual police criminality, nor misconduct by any serving officer, the police investigation of Marian's murder has been undermined by organisational and systemic failings.'
The Ombudsman investigation also considered information from the Beattie family that police made comments on four separate occasions that led them to believe there were potential links between suspects and either police, military/security services or paramilitaries.
They found while there were no police records of this being discussed, available information suggests 'it is more likely than not that such comments had been made'.
The Ombudsman's Office also said it found that three suspects had paramilitary links, and two were former police officers.
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In addition, while clear lines of inquiry were outstanding in relation to the suspects known to have potential paramilitary and police connections, this was not unique to these suspects.
The investigation was described as being unable to establish whether or not these connections had any impact upon the police investigation.
Mr Hume said they hope the independent review they have recommended may bring Ms Beattie's killer to justice.
'Although our investigation has found significant errors and omissions during the police inquiries into Marian's murder, it is my hope that the independent review we have recommended will ensure that every effort is made to uncover the truth about her murder, and to finally bring her killer, if still alive, to justice,' he said.
He added that while Ms Beattie was murdered in 1973, lessons of relevance to current policing could be learned.
'At the time of Marian's murder the police faced significant policing challenges, with hundreds of murders each year being attributed to 'the Troubles', and that context was taken into account during our inquiries,' he said.
'Nevertheless, we must learn from past errors and omissions, particularly if we are to properly address the problem of violence against women and girls in local society. Northern Ireland has the second-highest levels of femicide in western Europe.
'Unfortunately, the Police Ombudsman has found a similar lack of investigative rigour and pre-emptive conclusions in some recent PSNI femicide investigations.
'Police Ombudsman investigations are critical to learning lessons, and it is my hope that our recommendation for an independent review will help to ensure that future police inquiries into Marian's murder are comprehensive and focused.'
Belfast solicitor Darragh Mackin. Photo: Niall Carson/PA
Solicitor Darragh Mackin, acting for Ms Beattie's family, said the report should 'serve as a lightning strike reminder of the need for urgent and immediate action to ensure no other women are systematically failed by the very state that should protect them'.
He said the family 'now look forward to engaging with the Chief Constable in the weeks ahead'.
'The facts of this investigation speak for themselves. In 50 years the police contacted this family a mere eight times. Such blatant disregard for the family of Marian is indicative of the inherent unenthusiastic approach adopted,' he said.
'Today's revelations confirm that three suspects had paramilitary links and two were former police officers. The family have always believed that such connections have played a direct role in the obfuscation and procrastination adopted, in failing to investigate Marian's murder.'
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He went on: 'Marian's report confirms that women in this jurisdiction have not been safe for five decades.
'Today's report should serve as a lightning strike reminder of the need for urgent and immediate action to ensure no other women are systematically failed by the very state that should protect them.
'Gender based violence had no place in society in 1973 and it has no place in 2025. In Marian's memory, it is time for action.'
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Relatives of Marian Beattie were speaking after a scathing report found a series of failings in the original murder probe. The Police Ombudsman has now urged the PSNI to commission an independent review of the investigation. The 18-year-old's partially-clothed body was found at the bottom of the quarry near Aughnacloy in March 1973, hours after she had left a dance with an unidentified male. At the time police said it was a "vicious and cruel murder, with sadistic overtones". No one has ever been charged or convicted of Marian's murder. However, the family said the Ombudsman report reveals there were 13 suspects – three had paramilitary links and two were former police officers. Marian's cousin, Collette Toman, said: 'What is contained in the report has vindicated our position all along - there were significant failings in the RUC-PSNI investigation and that has been corroborated by this report today.' The PSNI said it is committed to helping the Beattie family get answers to their questions. Ms Toman added: 'This independent review needs to take place, and coming out of that independent review, I think that there is a fair chance of Marian's murderer being brought to justice. "We believe the killer is still alive. We believe we know who it is. "If the independent review is taken forward in the right manner, there is every possibility we will see justice for Marian.' The report found police had failed to ensure all lines of enquiry were progressed, that all suspects were interviewed and that all alibis were checked. Officers also did not ensure discrepancies between some suspects' accounts and other evidence were examined. Key evidence – including accounts from people at the dance – has also been lost. Police Ombudsman chief executive Hugh Hume said Marian's family had not received the service that they deserved from the police. Ms Toman said the family were alarmed by the extent of police failings outlined in the report. She added: "There are some shocks that we've had, even today. For example, we were unaware that there were up to 13 suspects in this case. "We were only ever told about two, and then at an Ombudsman meeting in 2022, that increased to five. But never at any point did we think there was up to 13 suspects. "Alongside that, there was a point at which they were considering closing the investigation in 2014, and the report now documents that at that stage there were 213 items still to be further investigated." The Police Ombudsman's investigation came after a referral by the then Chief Constable, George Hamilton, in 2017. On the night of her murder on March 30 1973, Marian had been at a dance at Hadden's Garage near Aughnacloy, attended by 400-500 people. She was last seen walking in the direction of Hadden's Quarry with an unidentified male. Her body was found at the bottom of the quarry, beneath a 90 foot drop, the next morning. A post-mortem examination concluded Marian had died from multiple injuries - some consistent with a fall, but others deemed to have been sustained separately. Items from the scene, including clothing and forensic samples, were sent for forensic testing, but all are now missing. These include a shoe which had a palm print, formed in mud, which became a significant focus for police. Mr Hume said there had been an over-reliance on the palm print. The report said significant outstanding lines of enquiry in relation to suspects that had not been pursued. There was no evidence that police conducted any interviews with a number of suspects; checked a number of suspect alibis; or made enquiries about the whereabouts of some suspects on the night. Discrepancies between the accounts of some suspects and other evidence were not properly examined, investigators found. The Ombudsman probe was also hampered by the loss of police exhibits and documentation. This includes documentary evidence, statements, records of interviews with witness and suspects, and officers' journals, and completed questionnaires from 419 people at the dance are also missing. All physical exhibits recovered during the initial police investigation are also missing. Mr Hume said: 'If these exhibits had been available, it may have been possible to have conducted further forensic testing using current forensic capabilities, and it is possible that this may have resulted in the identification of the person responsible for Marian's murder." He added: 'Although our investigation has found significant errors and omissions during the police enquiries into Marian's murder, it is my hope that the independent review we have recommended will ensure that every effort is made to uncover the truth about her murder, and to finally bring her killer, if still alive, to justice.' Deputy Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said: 'We are committed to helping the Beattie family get answers to their questions and ensure the case is properly investigated. 'We will now take time to consider the recommendations of the Police Ombudsman report and we hope the family will engage with the Police Service as part of that process.'
