Robert Hamill was kicked to death by a mob of thirty loyalists in Portadown, Northern Ireland. The incident happened in the early hours of 27 April 1997 in full view of an RUC Land Rover, only 200 yards from an RUC station.
Four RUC officers, wearing body armour and armed with machine guns, remained in the Land Rover until after the attack.
- They ignored warnings of a potential incident
- They ignored pleas for them to intervene during the attack
- They did not fire warning shots to disperse the crowd
- They did not administer first aid to Robert as he lay dying
- They did not declare the area as a scene of crime, collect any forensic evidence or take statements from people present at the scene
- They detained one person but released him after only a few minutes
- No arrests were made for two weeks
Robert's family want to know why. They are asking the British government to establish an independent judicial inquiry into the incident.
For further details contact the Robert Hamill Family Campaign at BM Hamill Campaign, London, WC1N 3XX.
"The RUC is the most heavily armed force in Europe, if not the world. Within 15 yards, four armed RUC officers sat in their Landrover and watched my brother killed.
As you know, police officers get first aid training. When Robert was on the ground, they did not feel he was worthy of having any first aid and they did not touch him as he lay on the ground.
They did not make any arrests on the night. They did not clear the crowds at the scene. The crowd were still standing around Robert as the ambulance arrived and they had difficulty getting to Robert."
Diane Hamill at the NCRM launch, March 1999.
