A Northern Ireland police watchdog body was so unhappy with an RUC investigation of complaints of death threats against the murdered Lurgan solicitor, Ms Rosemary Nelson, that it notified Dr Mo Mowlam.
It further emerged yesterday that the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, has asked the deputy commissioner of the London Metropolitan Police, Mr John Stevens, to investigate a report dealing with allegations of security force collusion in the murder 10 years ago of the Belfast solicitor, Mr Pat Finucane.
The Independent Commission for Police Complaints (ICPC) also disclosed yesterday that last year there were 36 cases of solicitors complaining about their treatment by RUC officers, some of them from Ms Nelson. In all 15 solicitors made complaints.
Mr Peter Madden, a defence lawyer who has represented several republican clients, claimed the extent of the alleged RUC harassment of defence solicitors was much higher. He said he and colleagues in his firm had been regularly harassed but that they had referred such cases to the London-based British Irish Rights Watch, rather than to the RUC.
Mr Pat Armstrong, chairman of the Ni Police Authority, rejected calls for the RUC to be removed from the Nelson murder inquiry. He said there was "not a single shred of evidence to link any member of the RUC to Ms Nelson's tragic death".
"It is hard to escape the conclusion that some of the recent commentators are not interested in securing the detection and conviction of Ms Nelson's murderers, but are using her murder as a platform from which to attack the RUC," Mr Armstrong said.
The ICPC case relating to Ms Nelson focused on allegations made by her clients while being interviewed at Gough and Castlereagh RUC holding centres. The ICPC supervised the RUC inquiry into the allegations from the summer of 1997 to last July, when the commission became "seriously concerned about the progress of the case".
It notified the Northern Secretary, Dr Mowlam, and the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, of its worries, with the result that Sir Ronnie invited a London Metropolitan Police commander, Niall Mulvihill, to take over the inquiry from the RUC, the commission chairman, Mr Paul Donnelly, explained yesterday.
He said it was the only time the commission felt it necessary to refer a case to the Northern Secretary. Mr Mulvihill's approach to the inquiry had proved "very satisfactory".
Mr Mulvihill's findings will not be disclosed, and it will be for the DPP in the North to decide whether any charges should follow. The Nelson family will be notified on Tuesday of the commission's view of the conduct of the investigation.
