Inquest into woman’s death to hear from senior police officer

A SENIOR police officer is to give evidence at an inquest into the death of a trainee accountant who suffered head injuries.

Mairead McCallion (36) was found hurt at a flat in Omagh on February 23, 2014 and died the following day.

A criminal case against a suspect was dramatically dropped by prosecutors.

The inquest is due to get under way this month and PSNI Chief Superintendent Karen Baxter will be the first witness, a barrister for the Coroner’s Ser- vice said during a preliminary hearing in Belfast yesterday.

Counsel Philip Henry was briefing coroner Paddy McGurgan before proceedings begin in Omagh.

Legal representatives also said that 3,700 pages of documents had recently been disclosed.

A lawyer said: “War And Peace by Tolstoy is 1,200 pages andthattookmeninemonthsto read so I am expecting it is going to take a while to digest that.”

The coroner responded: “I don’t want to disadvantage anyone, but you may get reading Mr Wilson is all I can say to you because we have a week and a day really to go through it.”

Ms McCallion died from bleeding on the brain at the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen.

A man was initially charged with murder, but the case was shelved after prosecutors raised concerns about inconclusive medical evidence.

The Public Prosecution Service said the evidence did not meet the test for prosecution.

Thecasewasalsoreviewedby the Police Ombudsman’s office.

It recommended two police officers be disciplined for their handling of it.