Further delay to MSPs' report on McKie case

THE long-awaited parliamentary report into the Scottish fingerprint service's handling of the Shirley McKie affair will not be published until next year.

The former Strathclyde Police detective received a 750,000 payout from ministers in February after she was wrongly accused of leaving a fingerprint at a murder scene nearly ten years ago.

The justice 1 committee was expected to publish its report into its inquiry earlier this month, but that was delayed when the committee sought further evidence.

The committee met again yesterday to discuss the 160-page report but was forced to delay its publication further, with members understood to be unable to agree on key aspects, including the evidence of the four Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) experts who accused Ms McKie of leaving the hugely controversial print.

The report will be heavily critical of SCRO management "including up until the recent past", a source said last night. It is understood Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary will also be criticised for failing to highlight SCRO shortcomings.

Last night Ms McKie's father, Iain, voiced his anger at the delay. "It's ridiculous. This just prolongs the agony for Shirley and the families of the SCRO officers involved," he said.

He praised the committee for investigating the case - but said it had bitten off more than it could chew. "It took on a job it was not suited to. It will be almost a decade to the day since this started. I think Shirley is entitled to some relief from this."