Chapter 14 argyle - State Law Publisher

FINAL REPORT
clearly nominate any individual police officer, rather they were characterized by suggestion,
innuendo and the use of nick-names. Whilst the reliability of some of this evidence may be
affected by the passage of time and by the possibility that suggestions have been made and
adopted, it is unlikely that so many people could have formed the same views unless they
have some basis in fact. It is very unlikely that all of this evidence could have been
deliberately and maliciously invented. The fact that the utterances of Roddan, as reported,
are sometimes vague and oblique gives them an air of verisimilitude. If, for example,
Mrs Crimmins were to have invented her evidence in this regard in order to cause trouble
for Roddan, it seems unlikely that she would limit her evidence to nick-names when actual
names would have identified senior officers so much more clearly.
On the basis of all of the available evidence it seems likely to the point of certainty that
Roddan did make claims that he knew police in high places whom he could call upon to help
him. It is also likely that he used names such as Max and Zed, though at least in the case of
the name Max, there is evidence to suggest that he knew others by that name whom he
may have referred to in conversation. Several witnesses said that they did not take such
claims seriously because they considered it part of Roddan’s character to drop names in
order to achieve a strategic advantage, whether he knew the person named or not. There is
also evidence that Roddan deliberately lied to some potential witnesses in order to test their
loyalty.
Given the length of time over which Roddan was under investigation, it would not be
surprising if he had come to know the names, and even the nick-names, of a number of
senior officers. It seems clear from all the evidence that Roddan is a person who lives on
the fringe of the law, and has made it his business to become familiar with police officers
and police methodology. He is also a verbose and boastful individual and it is sometimes
difficult to identify the thin line between fact and fantasy when he speaks. For the
preceding reasons it does not follow that, because Roddan made claims in respect of senior
police officers, he necessarily had the power or influence of which he boasted.
Ultimately, therefore, there is very little reliable evidence that could establish that the claims
made by Roddan were true. Roddan’s apparent knowledge of the police investigation is
inconclusive. His claim that he was expecting the search in February 1990 does not
necessarily indicate that he had been given any specific information. In any event, it must
be acknowledged that Roddan had several other possible sources of information, including,
obviously, Crimmins.
That Roddan was making claims of having police friends who could assist him and that this
was reported to those investigating the matter, obviously, and understandably, influenced
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