Judge finds police investigations were incomplete

The Canadian judge investigating collusion between the security forces and paramilitaries in Ireland has said he has uncovered lines of inquiry that have not been followed by detectives.

Delivering his report on allegations of RUC police collusion in the murders of four people in the North, former chief justice Peter Cory warned his findings must not be interfered with.

He handed his report to British Secretary of State Paul Murphy in London on the controversial killings of prominent defence lawyers Rosemary Nelson and Pat Finucane; Portadown father-of-two Robert Hamill; and loyalist paramilitary leader Billy Wright.

Mr Cory also delivered his report on accusations that some IRA attacks were carried out with the assistance of the Gardai police in the 26 Counties.

Today he refused to discuss his recommendations but cautioned against any British government changes to his findings. ``I would make a lot of noise,'' he warned.

The retired Canadian Supreme Court judge has spent the last 14 months investigating each of the cases after being appointed by the authorities in London and Dublin.

He disclosed his work had uncovered previously unknown details. He said: ``I have seen things that because of the routes followed are additional to some of the police investigations.''

Relatives of the victims have called for public inquiries into the killings. Mr Cory said his report, which was agreed by the Irish and British governments and political parties in 2001, provided for public inquiries if needed.

Fears have been expressed that the governments will censor information on the basis that some is relevant to ongoing criminal investigations.

But human rights groups and activists have called for the full and swift publication of the Cory report.

Human rights' groups Amnesty International, British Irish Rights Watch, the Committee on the Administration of Justice and Human Rights Watch, issued a statement saying there could be ``no excuse'' for undue delays in publishing the reports.

``The NGOs (non-governmental organisations) understand that insofar as possible Judge Cory has attempted to write the re-ports in a way which does not compromise the safety of individuals or national security,'' the statement said.

``Therefore, while the governments may have to examine the reports to ensure that this is indeed the case, there should be no reason for undue delay.''

The organisations stressed that the families in each of the cases had ``already waited for years for the establishment of public inquiries and their distress should not now be compounded by further delay on the part of the two governments''.

Sinn Fein representative Conor Murphy said: ``In the past reports into collusion by Stalker, Sampson and Stevens have been suppressed by the very British securocrats whose activities they were supposed to be investigating. This cannot be allowed to happen in Judge Cory's report.

``Already there is overwhelming evidence in a number of the cases that Judge Cory has investigated that the British State were directly involved in the murder of citizens through the manipulation, control and direction of unionist death squads. In line with the wishes of these families independent inquiries should now take place without any further delay.''

Urgent Appeal