Intruder snoops around Inquiry building

An intruder walked unchallenged into the heart of where the Bloody Sunday Inquiry was being held after a door was left unlocked, it was revealed today.

The man wandered into the empty hearing chamber, where witnesses are questioned, at the Westminster Methodist Central Hall in central London on October 5.

He spent “some minutes” alone in the chamber, where computers and official papers are kept for the British government-appointed inquiry, an inquiry spokesman said.

Security guards saw him on CCTV cameras and called police. He had left before police arrived.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was treating the incident as a burglary and said no arrests have been made.

An inquiry spokesman said: “The door was unlocked. There was no break-in.

“Someone was where they should not have been. Police were called, investigated the incident and there was no reason for concern.”

The inquiry spokesman confirmed that nothing was tampered with and said the computers were password protected.

He added: “As far as any of the inquiry equipment or information is concerned, they do not appear to have been affected in any way. There is nothing wrong with the security measures as long as they are maintained.

“This is a timely reminder that security needs to be maintained at all times because the chamber is in the middle of a public area in the middle of London.”

The security lapse happened at the beginning of a week’s recess and before an unnamed soldier – a signaller – was to take the stand.

A police spokesman said: “We can confirm that Belgravia CID are investigating a reported burglary at Westminster Central Hall on October 5.

“At this stage it does not appear that anything was taken. No arrests have been made and inquiries continue.”

The inquiry is investigating the events of Bloody Sunday when British paratroopers killed 13 unarmed marchers on a Derry civil rights march on January 30, 1972.

It has been running for more than two-and-a-half years and is expected to cost more than £100m when it concludes sometime in 2004.

The inquiry was moved from Derry to London last month to hear evidence from members of the armed forces and senior politicians including former British prime minister Edward Heath.

The Court of Appeal ruled last December that soldiers had reasonable fears for their safety in the city where the killings occurred.

It is being conducted by an international tribunal of Commonwealth judges chaired by Lord Saville, one of the UK’s top judges.

The inquiry, the second into the events, was announced by Tony Blair in January 1998 as part of the Northern Ireland peace process.