No collusion in Robert Hamill killing but ‘multiple police failings’ in inquiry – BBC News
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No collusion in sectarian killing but multiple police failings in murder inquiry
Image caption
Robert Hamill was killed by loyalists in Portadown, County Armagh
By
Cormac Campbell
,
South east reporter
and
Mark Simpson
,
Community correspondent, BBC News NI
Published
14 September 2026, 14:44 BST
Updated 7 minutes ago
An inquiry into the sectarian murder of Robert Hamill has found police 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.
The report, published on Monday, highlighted multiple wrongful omissions in the subsequent murder investigation including a failure to properly search the home of a key suspect.
Robert Hamill was 25 when he died after he was beaten by loyalists in Portadown, County Armagh in 1997.
The inquiry concluded in 2009 and its report was completed in 2011 but the findings could not be published until three prosecutions in connection with the case concluded.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 inquiry concluded:
"We find that Robert Hamill had been assaulted before the Land Rover officers got out of their vehicle. However, they were not aware of the assault and after they had got out of their vehicle, they attempted to restore order. They did not in any way condone or collude with attackers."
Although the inquiry found that the four officers in the police vehicle could not have prevented the murder, the police investigation was flawed – both at the scene and in the days that followed.
"The inquiry found that serving RUC [Royal Ulster Constabulary] officers were guilty of wrongful omissions and that those omissions arose both at the scene and during the initial investigation," it said.
The 290-page report followed an inquiry which cost approximately £33m.
Key mistakes
The inquiry report identified a number of key mistakes in the police investigation. These included:
- Failure to keep full records of the investigation
- Failure to properly search home of a key suspect
- Failure to carry out full debriefing of officers at scene of attack
Nobody has been convicted of the murder.
Image caption
Hamill’s sister Diane addressed the media after the report’s publication
‘Feel totally vindicated’
Speaking after the report’s publication, Hamill’s sister, Diane, said the family had "some reservations about aspects of this report".
"We as a family feel totally vindicated by the clear and unequivocal findings of the panel," she said.
"It documents multiple and shocking wrongdoing, some of it delivered by state agencies. These failings have led to those who murdered our brother evading justice."
She added that the family was "disappointed" that the panel could not agree "on the consequences of the police officers in the Land Rover failing to intervene while Robert was being attacked".
"I just want to reiterate that the people who killed our brother were never fully held accountable due to the obstructive conduct of the state justice agencies," she said.
‘Deliberate’ obstruction
In terms of deliberate mistakes, the actions of now-retired RUC officer Robert Atkinson were highlighted.
Atkinson was jailed in 2024 for conspiring to pervert the course of justice.
The inquiry found he was "guilty of a wrongful act" for making a false statement to the inquiry.
