Former assistant chief constable sues SDLP over newspaper ad
The SDLP today tried to head off a legal challenge being mounted by a former assistant chief constable in the North.
Alan McQuillan is suing the party and its leader, Mark Durkan, over a newspaper advert which he said was derogatory.
The SDLP ad claimed it had won the appointment of external candidate Hugh Orde as chief constable rather than anyone it termed the RUC old order.
The SDLP later said this was because it had refused to accept British government strictures that only internal candidates be considered.
One of two unsuccessful internal candidates, Alan McQuillan, sued for libel claiming the ad had impugned his professionalism.
Today Mark Durkan, while not apologising, said "the old RUC order" reference should have been in inverted commas as it was a Sinn Féin term the ad was intended to rebut.
