THE parents of murdered football protege Lawrence Haggart yesterday carried out their promise to sue Central Scotland Police over the handling of the inquiry into their son's death, writes Ian Smith.
A lawyer, acting on behalf of Mr Larry Haggart and his ex-wife Janet, has lodged a complaint against the police, accusing the initial inquiry team of ''mishand-ling'' the first year of the two-year-investigation.
The family's Falkirk-based solicitor, Mr Paddy Imray, said they were also suing the police for damages for stress and defamation.
The Haggart family pledged to sue after Brian Beattie, 33, was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of the 15-year-old at Edinburgh High Court last week.
An independent inquiry into the police handling of the case is already underway and Mr Haggart is due to meet with investigating officers today.
For the first year of the investigation, Lawrence Haggart's brother Dennis, who was 12 at the time, was treated as the chief suspect by the police.
Following Beattie's conviction, Mr Haggart spoke of how the family's life had been made ''hell'' for a year as the police tried to build a case against Dennis.
Mr Haggart claimed that a senior CID officer told him that the police had evidence that Dennis was guilty, and twice insisted that Mr Haggart ask his son to confess. But no evidence was produced and no prosecution case brought against Dennis Haggart.
Beattie, who has a long criminal record of sexual assault against young men, was questioned by police within hours of the brutal attack on Lawrence Haggart at his home in Larbert, near Falkirk, on March 16, 1996, but was released.
It was only a year after the murder, when Detective Superintendent Joe Holden was assigned to the case, that the focus of the investigation moved away from Dennis and back to Beattie.
But even when Beattie was brought to trial, Dennis Haggart was again accused of murdering his brother when Beattie's lawyers led an unsuccessful defence of incrimination, naming Dennis as the killer.
Mr Imray said yesterday: ''I was instructed by the Haggart family some time ago but it was agreed that we would wait for the outcome of the case.
A spokeswoman for Central Scotland Police said: ''It would be inappropriate to comment in light of the review the Chief Constable has invited Assistant Chief Constable James Mackay to undertake.''
Chief Constable William Wilson ordered the independent inquiry following Beattie's conviction.
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