State 'failed to protect' Rosemary Nelson but did not collude with killers

The state failed to protect the solicitor Rosemary Nelson before her murder by loyalists in Northern Ireland but did not collude in her killing, a public inquiry has found.

The report found no evidence of a direct role in the car bomb attack 12 years ago, but said it could not rule out the possibility of involvement by a rogue element of the security forces.

The inquiry, which cost £46.5 million, concluded that Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers publicly abused and assaulted the solicitor, and it believed police intelligence on the 40-year-old mother of three had leaked out.

Before her death on 15 March 1999, the lawyer, who worked on a number of controversial cases including those of suspected republican terrorists, had alleged police intimidation.

Those claims gained international attention and the report found that police had made "abusive and threatening remarks" about the solicitor. The inquiry found that the state "failed to take reasonable and proportionate steps" to safeguard her life.

The current chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Matt Baggott, apologised for police failings.

Presenting the report to the House of Commons, Secretary of State Owen Paterson said: "I am profoundly sorry that omissions by the state rendered Rosemary Nelson more at risk and more vulnerable. It is also deeply regrettable that despite a very thorough police investigation no one has been charged for this terrible crime."

The 700-word report included two and a half pages of conclusions which list its key findings. It said it believed that RUC intelligence on Mrs Nelson had leaked out and, whether the information was correct or not, this had "increased the danger to Rosemary Nelson's life".

The report authors also believed claims made by Mrs Nelson before her death that police had threatened her during interviews with her clients. They added: "This became publicly known and would have had the subsequent effect of legitimising her as a target in the eyes of loyalist terrorists."