A public inquiry into the murder of Robert Hamill in Portadown in 1997 has found no evidence that police colluded with his killers, but has identified multiple wrongful acts and omissions by RUC officers that obstructed the murder investigation.

Mr Hamill, 25, a Catholic father-of-three, died after he was attacked by loyalists while walking along Market Street in Portadown after a night out in April 1997. He suffered serious head injuries and died 11 days later. No one has ever been convicted of his murder.

The inquiry report states that the officers in a nearby police Land Rover did not collude with the attackers. It says Mr Hamill had been assaulted before the officers got out of their vehicle, and that once they did, they attempted to restore order. The report adds that the officers did not condone or collude with the attackers.

However, the report found that serving RUC officers were guilty of wrongful omissions both at the scene and during the initial investigation. These included a failure by officers to keep a watch on the junction where the assault was taking place and a failure to carry out an initial debriefing at the scene or on return to the police station. The report says multiple officers finished their shifts or went on to other duties without recording what had happened, which had a serious and significant impact on the murder investigation.

The report also found that former police officer Robert Cecil Atkinson committed a wrongful act by telephoning a key suspect, which resulted in that suspect destroying or hiding clothing worn on the night of the murder. The subsequent handling of this tip-off allegation was negligent, according to the report.

Other criticism included a failure to properly search the home of a key suspect in May 1997 for signs of destroyed clothing or footwear, and a failure to properly develop the murder investigation after six suspects were arrested.

Diane Hamill, a sister of Robert Hamill, said the family felt vindicated by the findings. She said the report documented shocking wrongdoing by state agencies and that these failings led to those who murdered her brother evading justice. She expressed disappointment that the inquiry could not agree on the consequences for the officers in the Land Rover who failed to intervene, but said the family agreed with the late inquiry chairman that the officers were guilty of a wrongful omission.

The inquiry was announced in 2004 by then Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy. The report was delayed by live legal proceedings, which concluded in 2024 when Atkinson was convicted of conspiring to pervert the course of justice. The inquiry cost approximately £33 million and produced a 290-page report.