Hamill case cops seek damages for 'injuries'
Sharon O'Neill, Irish News,26 February 2004
Two police officers who were at the scene when Portadown Catholic Robert Hamill was fatally injured by a loyalist mob are seeking compensation for injuries they claim to have suffered. The duo were among officers in an RUC Land Rover who are accused of failing to protect the 25-year-old, a claim that has been denied by the police.
It has now emerged that the two officers, one of whom has since left the force, are pursuing damages for injuries they claim to have sustained during the events of that night. News of their compensation bid comes after retired Canadian judge Peter Cory confirmed to the Hamill family that he believed the case warranted an independent inquiry. It can also be revealed that the Compensation Agency has refused to make any decision in relation to the officers' compensation claim until Mr Cory's report on the case, currently with the British government, is dealt with.
The specific nature of the compensation claims may be made public when they go before the courts next month. At this stage it is unclear whether the pair are claiming to have suffered psychological as well as physical injury. The officers are currently involved in efforts to press the Northern Ireland Office into making a decision regarding their compensation action. The murder of Mr Hamill caused outrage due to claims that police at the scene failed to protect the labourer.
He was attacked by a 30-strong loyalist mob just yards from an RUC Land Rover after a night out in Portadown on April 27 1997. Mr Hamill, whose fiancée was expecting their third child at the time, never regained consciousness and died 12 days later. Six men were originally charged with Mr Hamill's murder but charges against five were dropped. A sixth was later acquitted of murder but found guilty of causing an affray and was freed from prison in 1999.
In the same year the Director of Public Prosecutions ruled that the RUC officers on duty that night would not face any charges. A former reserve constable, not connected to the compensation case, is one of three people currently before the courts charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to the investigation into the murder.
Amid mounting demands for the release of Mr Cory's reports into four controversial killings including that of solicitors Pat Finucane and Rosemary Nelson, an NIO spokeswoman said the reports would be published "as soon as the legal and human rights issues are resolved".