"Witnesses claimed that police in riot gear with dogs lined up in the entrance bay to the [casualty] unit and made snide remarks to relatives as they arrived at the hospital" --Irish News, 13 July 1996.
One witness, who saw the RUC arrive, observed that at around 1.15 am there appeared to be only one officer at the hospital. The RUC officers appear to have arrived at the hospital at around 1.30am, in a number of jeeps and cars. Most witnesses place the number of RUC officers present in the hospital and its environs at around 20. There were also some police women amongst them. Other witnesses say there were British Army soldiers also present. Some officers were clad in riot gear, others in every-day RUC uniform. At least one officer had an Alsatian dog with him. This officer and others were standing at the entrance to the casualty department. Numerous witnesses report that RUC personnel were in the car-park, as was an armoured police car. One witness observed an RUC officer standing in the car-park, writing in a notebook. "I assume he was noting car number plates", this witness says.
Witnesses describe the atmosphere at the hospital as they arrived as very tense.
"There were RUC lined up outside Casualty on all sides and there were RUC in the car-park. It was very intimidating, very scary. The RUC made snide remarks and laughed at people going in. Some officers laughed and said `Two-One'", said one witness arriving at hospital to visit an injured relative.Another witness, arriving with injured friend reports that :
"The police were smirking and laughing. One police woman said `We're enjoying every minute of this'".There were also a number of RUC officers inside the hospital, some of them hanging around the casualty reception area. There appeared to be one or two RUC officers receiving treatment at the hospital and a much larger number of officers actually standing around inside the building. Some of the RUC personnel inside the casualty department were in riot gear, some in flak jackets. One RUC officer had a dog with him, which initially appeared to be calm. The civilians waiting inside the hospital were visibly angry and upset and the heavy police presence inside the hospital seems to have angered them further.
"There was name-calling between those civilians waiting - about 8 or 10 and the cops - maybe about half a dozen inside [the reception area], with a lot more outside." said one witness who was waiting inside the casualty department.The witnesses consistently report that the most serious incident began between two and two thirty am. There were around half a dozen RUC officers in the waiting area and a larger number just beyond, outside the large set of double doors at the entrance to the waiting area. At the other end of the waiting area there is another set of double doors, into the treatment area.
After some trading of insults, the RUC dog-handler slapped a civilian in the face, apparently in a fit of temper. The waiting crowd responded verbally and one woman asked the RUC officer for his number. It appears that the RUC officer then allowed the dog to jump up at the man he had slapped and at that point about 15 RUC officers in riot gear charged through the double doors and drew their batons. Witnesses report that they then set about thumping and hitting the crowd of waiting injured and relatives.
"The RUC in riot gear approached the members of the public with batons drawn. There was considerable pushing and shoving during which the RUC began to hit people with their batons. RUC officers were saying `Get the bastards out'."observes one witness who was in the casualty waiting area. Another reports that
"The cops barged in the door and started batoning people." and adds "I didn't understand why."These people were forced by the RUC and the Alsatian dog back through the waiting area, through the second set of double doors. A number of witnesses report that it was here, at this second set of doors, that the worst beating took place.
"I ran back into casualty. I was hit on at least three occasions...Four or five of the [RUC] officers were at the second set of double doors and they were severely beating one male. Another man who tried to intervene was also beaten by police officers." [Witness 1] "A man was lying on the ground, with his hands over his head. I believe he was unconscious. A number of RUC officers were hitting him with batons." [Witness 2]
"There was one young fella who got a fierce batoning, from maybe about four of them [RUC officers]. One RUC man shouted `grab that wee bastard there'. He was then dragged out the door. They were batoning anyone who got in their way. Both outpatients and family were getting attacked - maybe ten people were hit at this point." [Witness 3]The RUC version of these event is that " RUC officers were providing security for injured colleagues ... and a small number of officers were forced to draw batons and with the assistance of a police dog, dispersed the unruly mob in the waiting area near casualty" (Derry Journal, 16 July 1996). This version of events was later repeated by Tom Melaugh, (Irish News, 13 July 1996) a senior manager at Altnagelvin, although he does not appear to have been present at the incident.
None of the witnesses who gave statements to the Pat Finucane Centre and the CAJ saw any injured RUC officer in the vicinity of the incident.
A number of people complained immediately to the hospital staff there and they contacted Stella Burnside, the Chief Executive of Altnagelvin Hospital. In the meantime the man who had been beaten, apparently unconscious, by the RUC was attended to by hospital medical staff. Mrs. Burnside spoke to at least one witness and subsequently apparently asked the RUC to withdraw from the hospital at around 2.45 am This has subsequently been confirmed by the hospital
"A spokeswoman for Altnagelvin confirmed hospital manager Stella Burnside asked the police to leave." (Irish News 13 July 1996)The hospital is currently undertaking an internal review of the incident, but it is understood that the review will not be made public. This is common practice with such reviews. The Area Health Board will however be briefed as to its outcome and findings. There is a security video recording of the night of 11/12 July and we understand that the hospital has secured this tape. The hospital has made it clear to the CAJ that its primary purpose is to ensure that anyone who comes to the hospital should be able to do so with a clear view that their details are confidential. When asked by the CAJ about the video tape, the hospital made it clear that the tape has not been seen by anyone outside the hospital administration and that it will not be made available to anyone without a court order, in order to protect patient confidentiality.