Kingsmills inquest adjourned over Met audit shock

The Kingsmills inquest has adjourned early today after shocked families discovered that wider errors have been discovered in finger print detection work.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Jun 2017, 17:37 BST
Updated 12th Sep 2017, 11:02 BST
The ten Protestant workmen were taken out of their van at Kingsmills and linked up against it before being gunned down. The bullet holes can be seen right across the van.The ten Protestant workmen were taken out of their van at Kingsmills and linked up against it before being gunned down. The bullet holes can be seen right across the van.
The ten Protestant workmen were taken out of their van at Kingsmills and linked up against it before being gunned down. The bullet holes can be seen right across the van.

Although the ten civilians were murdered in 1976 in south Armagh, a palm print taken from the suspected getaway vehicle was not matched with a suspect until the inquest opened in June last year.

Prompted by media coverage of the inquest, a PSNI fingerprint expert rechecked the palm print and unexpectedly made a match.

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The inquest was then adjourned while a live police investigation began. A suspect was arrested in south Armagh but the prosecution fell through when the PPS said they could not prove that the van used had been at the scene of the crime.

It was confirmed at today’s inquest hearing that a Historical Enquiries Team fingerprint expert missed two opportunities to make the match in 2010 and 2014.

However families were shocked today when the head of the PSNI fingerprint bureau, under cross examination by their lawyer, revealed that a wider examination of the HET finger print officer’s work is underway.

A lawyer for the PSNI confirmed that a “dip sample” had been taken of 10% of the officer’s work and that wider errors had been found.

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The Metropolitan Police have been brought in to check his work after an audit was directed by the PSNI.

However lawyers acting for the families described the news as “startling” and asked for the inquest to be adjourned while they looked into the revelations.

Coroner Judge Brian Sherrard agreed.

More following.

Related topics:PSNIArmagh