FOUR RUC officers who were on the scene when Robert Hamill was fatally assaulted were of little or no help in protecting him or seeking to apprehend his assailants, the inquiry into his death heard yesterday.
One officer allegedly colluded with one of the alleged killers, another “crumbled” and was “useless”, a third was tied up in communicating with police headquarters while the fourth officer ended up “racked with guilt” that he did not do more to try to help, the inquiry was told.
The closing legal submissions began with the Hamill family lawyer Barra McGrory, QC, arguing that there were major failings amounting to police “collusion” and “corruption” on the night Mr Hamill was assaulted and in the investigation.
The inquiry is investigating allegations including a claim that the four RUC officers failed in their duty to intervene, that one officer colluded with a suspect, that suspects were not detained on the night, and that the crime scene was not properly maintained.
Mr Hamill died 11 days after he was allegedly attacked by a loyalist mob in Portadown early on April 27th, 1997.
Legal submissions are due to conclude on Friday week. Yesterday was day 70 of public hearings which began in January. The inquiry has heard evidence in person from 174 witnesses and witness statements from 37 others.
The inquiry is due to cost £34.3 million, £1.7 million under the original budget. The inquiry may issue interim findings next summer, with a final report due before the end of next year.
Mr McGrory said that one of the four officers, Reserve Constable Robbie Atkinson, told suspect Alistair Hanvey to destroy all the clothes he was wearing the night Mr Hamill was attacked.
Mr McGrory said another reserve officer known as P40 “panicked and crumbled” and was “useless” on the night because he feared that if he had intervened he would have been killed.
Reserve Constable Denise Cornett was largely preoccupied making radio contact with police HQ while the only fully commissioned officer, Constable Alan Neill, failed in his police obligations and suffered guilt thereafter.
Mr McGrory also argued that the initial evidence of Tracey Clarke, whom the police and prosecution service viewed as a key and credible witness, was the truth.
In her original police statement Ms Clarke identified Mr Hanvey, Dean Forbes, Stacey Bridgett, Rory Robinson and “Muck”, later identified as Marc Hobson, as Mr Hamill’s attackers. Charges against the five were dropped.
She also said that as “far as I could see the police were not doing much to stop what was happening”. She said that later at a party in Portadown “some of the people involved appeared to be happy about what they had done”.
Ms Clarke retracted her evidence, saying it was motivated by vindictiveness against Mr Hanvey who at the time of the attack was her “estranged boyfriend”. She later married Mr Hanvey and they had two children. She is now separated from Mr Hanvey.