I am today laying before Parliament the report of the Robert Hamill Inquiry, and publishing it in full online.

I acknowledge the significant delay of fifteen years between the completion and publication of this report. While necessary to allow legal proceedings to conclude, this prolonged wait has undoubtedly caused Robert’s family deep anguish. I offer my profound sympathies to his family and pay tribute to their dignity throughout this ordeal.

On 27 April 1997, Robert Hamill was violently attacked by a large crowd in Portadown simply because he was a Catholic, dying from his injuries weeks later. His murder was a horrifying tragedy.

The Inquiry addressed two primary public concerns regarding the conduct of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC): first, whether officers in a nearby Land Rover were responsible for Robert Hamill’s death; and second, whether the subsequent investigation was inhibited by wrongful acts or omissions.

The Inquiry concluded that officers in the Land Rover were not guilty of any wrongful act or omission directly facilitating the death, though Sir Edwin Jowitt expressed a dissenting view. However, the Inquiry made stark findings regarding wrongful omissions during the initial police investigation between 27 April and 7 May 1997, concluding that these omissions severely hindered the investigation.

These omissions included:

Failure to carry out initial debriefings at the scene or at the police station, which was negligent and severely impacted the murder investigation;

Failure to carry out a full debriefing once it became clear Robert Hamill’s injuries were life-threatening;

Wrongful omissions by two officers to supply relevant information regarding an individual seen at the scene, which was negligent in one case and deliberate in the other.

Furthermore, the Inquiry found that RUC officer Robert Atkinson committed a deliberate wrongful act by tipping off a suspect, resulting in the destruction of evidence, and subsequently conspired to cover up the call, leading to his conviction for conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

The Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland will reflect on these findings. The Government remains committed to establishing effective mechanisms that deliver transparency and accountability for legacy cases.

I place on record my gratitude to the current and former chairs and panel members—Sir John Evans, the late Sir Edwin Jowitt, and Reverend Baroness Richardson—for their diligent service in uncovering the truth. Copies of the report have been placed in the libraries of both Houses.

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