Ombudsman finds ‘significant failings’ in PSNI probe into 2002 murder of Gerard Lawlor in Belfast

Gerard Lawlor, a Catholic, was shot dead by loyalists shortly after midnight on July 22 2002

Gerard Lawlor was murdered in north Belfast in 2002. File Picture: Family handout/PA

There were significant failings in the PSNI investigation into the murder of a young father in Belfast in 2002, but no evidence of collusive behaviours, Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman Marie Anderson has said.

Delivering a statement into the death of Gerard Lawlor, Mrs Anderson also said she had found no evidence that the murder could have been prevented.