Attempted‑Murder Victim Questions PSNI Over Pixelated CCTV of Attack Suspects

On 6 May 2025, our client Sean O’Reilly was informed that the PSNI had released CCTV images of two suspects believed to be involved in his attempted murder. However, the images were issued with the suspects’ faces heavily pixelated, prompting concern and confusion.

Mr O’Reilly was shot twice while sitting in his taxi in West Belfast on 23 February 2025. He survived the attack but required surgery to remove a bullet lodged in his collarbone and to repair nerve damage in his arm.

The PSNI’s decision to release obscured images while asking the public to assist with identification. It seems extremely counter-productive to request help in identifying the suspects while also obscuring their image.”

Peter Corrigan, solicitor at Phoenix Law, added:

“We have serious concerns around the investigation into our client’s attempted murder. This is just the latest unusual occurrence in this investigation. We see no good reason why the PSNI would ask for help in identifying suspects and at the same time take steps to pixelate the faces of the suspects. One has to question the motive behind this and who the PSNI are seeking to protect. We will now add this to a long list of complaints already made to the Police Ombudsman in relation to the handling of the case.”