Kevin Nunes murder: Legal action could delay report on botched murder probe

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has failed to publish its final report into the failed gangland murder investigation despite it being finished a year ago.

The IPCC has revealed it is still examining the responses to its findings which remain private but were handed to police forces and police and crime commissioners connected with the case more than a year ago.

And the watchdog said the delay in publication of the report looks set to be prolonged by 'a number of civil actions'.

In a letter to South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson, IPCC Commissioner Cindy Butts said: "Although the investigation is complete, the Police Reform Act 2002 requires the respective appropriate authority for each of the subject officers to respond to the findings of the investigation.

"There responses have been received and are being carefully considered with a view to deciding what the next steps should be.

"As I am still in correspondence with the appropriate authorities it would not be appropriate for the report to be published until this part of the statutory process has been concluded. However, you should be aware that there are a number of civil actions arising from this case, and it may be that representation will be made to delay publication until they are concluded."

Fourteen former and current Staffordshire Police officers have been under investigation by the IPCC over the case known as Operation Kalmia.

It is not clear who is behind the possible civil actions or why they started legal proceedings.

Mr Nunes, 20, from Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, was pistol whipped and shot five times in Clive Road, Pattingham in 2002.

He was a promising amateur footballer who was on the books of Spurs and later Stafford Rangers.

Five men were jailed for life with a combined minimum jail term of 135 years for the murder in January 2008.

Their convictions were quashed in 2012 at the Court of Appeal after concerns over a witness and the conduct of detectives was never disclosed to the original murder trial legal teams. As a result the IPCC launched its investigation.

Despite completing its four-year investigation a year ago, the IPCC is yet to publish its final report.

It has come under fierce pressure to release the report by Mr Williamson and a former officer turned whistleblower Joe Anderson who exposed failings in the original murder investigation.

Mr Williamson wrote to the IPCC calling on the report to be published 'immediately' and described the length of the watchdog's investigation as taking 'far too long'.

None of the police officers will face criminal proceedings but those still serving could face misconduct charges.

Retired officers can face no further action but the report, when published, would reveal for the first time the true picture of who was responsible for the murder investigation being compromised.

An IPCC spokesman said: "A final decision on these matters will be made in due course, and we're not commenting further at this stage."