'Unacceptable failings' in investigation into Robert Hamill murder, police say

The "standards expected of policing were not met" in the investigation into the sectarian murder of Robert Hamill, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said.

The findings of an inquiry into his death, published on Monday, found that Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers who were in a vehicle near the attack did not condone or collude with the attackers.

However, the inquiry said there were multiple police failings in the investigation, including a tip-off to a suspect to destroy the clothing he wore that night.

Robert Hamill was 25 when he died after he was beaten by loyalists in Portadown, County Armagh, in 1997.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said the report identifies "serious and unacceptable failings" in the RUC's response to Hamill's murder and the subsequent investigation.

The inquiry report highlighted multiple wrongful omissions in the subsequent murder investigation including a failure to properly search the home of a key suspect.

Although the inquiry found the four officers in the police Land Rover could not have prevented the murder, the police investigation was flawed – both at the scene and in the days that followed.

The inquiry concluded that some of the mistakes in the investigation were negligent, while others were deliberate.

McNally said: "We recognise the distress these findings will cause, particularly to the Hamill family."

The ACC added: "The report is clear that shortcomings in supervision, investigative practice, record-keeping, forensic strategy and accountability had serious consequences.

"The standards expected of policing were not met."

The inquiry finished in 2009 and its report was completed in 2011 but the findings could not be published until three prosecutions in connection with the case concluded.

The 290-page report followed an inquiry which cost approximately £33m.

McNally described policing as having "changed fundamentally" since 1997, but added that "the passage of time and organisational change do not diminish the gravity of the inquiry's findings or the need to learn from them".

He said the PSNI plans on assessing the report's findings and recommendations.

"We acknowledge the dignity and persistence of the Hamill family over many years. Robert Hamill's death, and the failures identified by the inquiry, must continue to inform policing and our commitment to impartial, accountable and effective service to every community."

Hamill and a friend were attacked and beaten by loyalists as they walked along Portadown's Market Street after a night out in April 1997.

He suffered serious head injuries and died 11 days later.

Hamill's murder was the subject of a public inquiry because it was alleged officers were parked in a police Land Rover nearby but did not intervene.

That inquiry ran for 77 days between 13 January and 17 December 2009.

It heard evidence in person from 174 witnesses and witness statements from a further 37 witnesses.

No one was convicted of the murder and in the decades after, Hamill's family demanded answers.

The sectarian killing happened at time when tensions were high in Northern Ireland.

While peace talks were under way, the Drumcree parade dispute in Portadown in the 1990s sparked some of the most serious public disorder in Northern Ireland's history.