'No collusion' in Nelson murder

A report by the Ombudsman Nuala O Loane into the murder of solicitor Rosemary Nelson seven years ago concludes there is no evidence that police colluded in her death. The only reference to security force involvement is to highlight “inadequacies” on the part of the RUC with the suggestion that they did not take the threats seriously.

Rosemary Nelson was killed instantly when a bomb was placed by loyalists under her car on March 15, 1999 and the claims of collusion have been relentless ever since with the Irish Government, the UN and Amnesty International calling for an official inquiry. Such an inquiry has just opened in Craigavon but if the report just published means anything it is that the inquiry will resolve any of these long held suspicions.

Before she died, Nelson told the UN and a US Congressional hearing that she had received death threats, but her name was removed from the UN report after the then RUC chief Ronnie Flanagan advised that publication “might encourage loyalist attacks.” She went public shortly after and alleged that police were putting it about that that she was a member of a paramilitary group and she stated that the RUC had issued threats against her through her clients.

It seems from what has been heard so far that there is an undoubted case for what might be called negative involvement, that is, that the police did not act on threats regarding Nelson's safety and let things develop into her eventual murder.

It seems there was a sort of official vendetta against her and there would have been few tears shed in some official quarters when news of the bomb that blew her to pieces came over the airways.

Public Inquiries do not resolve issues. They are usually damage limitation theatre. Neither the British, nor of late the republicans in the Mc Cartney case, will ever strike their breast with a Mea Culpa, but will attempt to throw the blame back on the accuser. Is there any difference? No.