Jonesborough man vindicated after PSNI swoop blunder

A Jonesborough businessman's been vindicated.

It's after police swooped on Owen Reel's property on Thursday claiming he had a stolen digger.
Mr Reel and his son were left stunned when despite producing paperwork showing the digger had been theirs for the past eight years, officers seized the plant machinery anyway.
It's understood they were following a lead to trace a mini-digger stolen from England earlier this year.
A heavy police presence arrived at Mr Reel's property to seize the digger, to return it three days later when their mistake was realised and to obtain paperwork from the digger seller.
Local councillor Mickey Larkin says the businessmen involved were upset about the ordeal:
"It took three days to get through to them that they had made a terrible error, that they'd sullied the names of three businessmen when finally they returned with it. They were apologetic but it was a terrible mistake to make."

He added, "I have no doubt that the criminals involved in the theft in England were laughing all the way to the bank as they watched the Reel family being hauled across the coals. Another question posed is why it takes so many PSNI personnel to attend a call out in South Armagh. 

"Tax payers are questioning the value for money in such instances. I would like to know the cost of this failed operation."