Landmark Public Inquiry into the Death of an Iraqi Civilian

Baha Mousa inquiry to report in the Autumn

6 June 2011 - The report of a landmark public inquiry into the death of an Iraqi civilian in British Army custody will be published in the Autumn.

Father-of-two Baha Mousa, 26, sustained 93 injuries while being held by 1st Battalion, the Queen's Lancashire Regiment in Basra, southern Iraq, in 2003.

The inquiry chairman, Sir William Gage, said he expects to release his detailed findings about the case on September 8. The inquiry into Mr Mousa's death and the abuse of nine other Iraqi men detained with him heard oral evidence from 247 witnesses over 115 days of hearings between July 2009 and October 2010.

While Sir William has no powers to accuse any soldiers of crimes, prosecutors could use his report as the basis for bringing charges.

The inquiry team said in a statement: "Since the completion of the evidence, the chairman has undertaken a considerable amount of work to draw together his report. Good progress has been made and the drafting of the report is well advanced. The chairman had hoped to be able to publish the report before Parliament's summer recess. However, the volume of evidence and the work necessary to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the report has made this difficult to accomplish." {continued}