Ten years after his report found police collusion in the Loughinisland massacre, former Police Ombudsman Dr Michael Maguire says the finding remains factually sound and has withstood legal challenge. The 2016 report examined the killing of six Catholic men in a pub by loyalist gunmen in June 1994 and concluded that security forces colluded with the perpetrators.

In his first public comments on the anniversary, Maguire stated that years of litigation and criticism failed to alter the substance of the 44,000-word document. A court of appeal required minor amendments to three or four paragraphs concerning an individual officer, but the core findings were left intact.

Maguire explained that his investigation, launched after families rejected a predecessor’s work as inadequate, took a broader strategic view. It traced the importation of VZ58 rifles from South Africa to loyalists in the late 1980s, linked earlier attacks to the same gang, and identified intelligence that police did not share with the murder inquiry.

The former ombudsman also addressed his cooperation with the documentary “No Stone Unturned,” which led to the 2018 arrests of journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey. He said he engaged with the filmmakers to ensure accurate reflection of his report, but was surprised by a confidential document that appeared in the film. He did not report a theft because the document could have come from multiple sources.

Maguire warned that a similar report can no longer be produced by the Police Ombudsman’s office because legacy work has been moved to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR). He described it as stunning that the ICRIR has spent £60 million over two years without issuing any reports, and said confidence among families depends on the quality of future output.

He also highlighted the vacancy at the ombudsman’s office since Marie Anderson retired in December 2025. The lack of public or political commentary on the unfilled role is surprising, he added, given the office’s critical place in the post-Good Friday Agreement policing oversight architecture.

Maguire’s remarks come ahead of a screening of “No Stone Unturned” at Queen’s Film Theatre in Belfast on 12 June, where he will discuss the investigation and its impact.