Ronnie Flanagan may challenge Robert Hamill inquiry claims

Sir Ronnie Flanagan’s legal team is considering challenging allegations made about the former police chief during closing submissions at the Robert Hamill Inquiry this week.

Lawyers representing the former head of the RUC told the Belfast Telegraph that Sir Ronnie was “extremely annoyed” by comments made in the closing submission by the barrister representing the Hamill family.

On Tuesday, during his final argument to the long-running inquiry, Barra McGrory QC accused Sir Ronnie of lying to the inquiry and of giving a senior police officer in charge of the murder case “the nod” to “bury the allegation” against a reserve constable who was alleged to have tipped off a murder suspect. He also called for Sir Ronnie’s handling of the investigation to be examined “from the beginning to the end”.

Mr Hamill, a Catholic father-of-three, died from head injuries after being beaten by a loyalist mob in Portadown in April 1997.

The central issue of an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Mr Hamill’s death is an alleged tip-off involving a phone call being made by Reserve Constable Robert Atkinson to Alistair Hanvey at his home on the morning after the attack to warn him to destroy clothes he had been wearing.

Mr Atkinson, who is no longer an officer, denies the allegation and his legal team will be among those making closing submissions. Mr Hanvey denies any involvement in the Hamill murder.

Ernie Waterworth, an associate solicitor with McCartan, Turkington and Breen, the firm representing the former Chief Constable, said its legal team would be dealing with the allegations made within their closing submissions.

The legal team were meant to deliver their closing submission yesterday but withdrew to take instructions.

At the end of yesterday’s proceedings counsel for the Inquiry, Ashley Underwood apologised to the three-member panel for the unplanned rescheduling, saying it was due to circumstances beyond his control.

He said: “Can I tell you why we are having slight disruptions to the smooth running?

“It is that Sir Ronnie Flanagan's team are taking instructions about the way in which to deal with the matters which were addressed yesterday about him. So that has rather thrown people out of sequence, I am afraid.”

Mr Underwood said because of the disruption it was highly unlikely they would sit tomorrow, but would still hear closing submissions today.

Belfast Telegraph