Military Police Investigator Criticizes SAS Murder Probe Interference

A military police investigator has stated that senior officers prevented his team from following crucial evidence during a probe into alleged SAS executions in Afghanistan. Delme Williams, who investigated allegations against a specific SAS unit, told a public inquiry that the investigation was not conducted in a standard manner, with decisions being dictated from above rather than being based on where the evidence led.

Williams, who served as the deputy senior investigative officer for Operation Northmoor, which examined 11 SAS operations, testified on Monday that the course of the investigation was being "dictated" to his team. He questioned whether the senior Royal Military Police officer in charge, known as the Gold commander, was being "influenced to close the investigation."

The inquiry is examining allegations that the SAS committed murders in Afghanistan and that these incidents were subsequently covered up. It marks the first time individuals involved in military police investigations into special forces operations have testified.

Williams recalled an instance where investigators were reviewing photographs from an SAS operation that resulted in the fatal shooting of nine people, including a 14-year-old, in Nad Ali district, Helmand Province, in February 2011. As a seasoned crime-scene investigator, Williams wanted to show the images to a forensics expert. The investigation team suspected unlawful killings, and the photographs appeared to show bullet marks low to the ground, contradicting the SAS account that the deceased had been standing and fired first.

"A picture paints a thousand words - photos are ideal evidence," Williams told the inquiry. He stated he was "quickly shut down in an abrupt matter" by the Gold commander when he proposed showing the photos to an expert. His attempts to pursue the matter further were blocked by his senior officer.

Similar concerns were raised in a BBC Panorama investigation, which obtained photographs from the scene. An RMP investigator confirmed to the BBC that the bullet mark patterns were concerning and appeared to undermine the special forces' version of events. Forensics and ballistics experts consulted by the BBC suggested the bullet clusters indicated rounds were fired downward, not indicative of a firefight. This aligns with accounts from bereaved families who claim the victims were unarmed civilians shot in their beds.

Another Operation Northmoor investigator, speaking to Panorama in 2022, expressed belief in pressure from above to close the investigation, stating it became clear that gathered evidence would not lead to court proceedings. At the time, the Ministry of Defence stated that the incidents underwent "extensive and independent investigation" by the RMP, resulting in no prosecutions.

Operation Northmoor, initiated by the RMP's serious crime team, investigated 45 killings by an SAS squadron during a 2011 tour of Afghanistan. Williams indicated that "outside forces" seemed to be directing the investigation's course and that there was a general sentiment that inquiries were being stopped prematurely with no appetite to pursue all lines of inquiry or refer cases for prosecution.

Internal military documents presented to the inquiry showed that a decision was made in a senior RMP meeting in September 2017 to end Operation Northmoor while evidence gathering was still ongoing. Williams expressed no surprise but asserted that criminal investigations should not be guided by imposed end dates.

Williams also recalled seeing a briefing note for a meeting between senior military police officers and the deputy chief of the Army in late 2017, which outlined the intention to close Northmoor. He found it surprising to see this stated in writing but stated it explained the perceived pressure on the investigation.

The inquiry also heard that the former head of the British Army, Sir Nick Carter, requested a reduction in staff for the murder probe. The police officer in charge at the time, Lt Col John McAllister, believed this reduction would negatively impact the investigation.

Operation Northmoor, the largest murder investigation in the Royal Military Police's history, concluded without any charges being filed. Alan Pughsley, an expert for the public inquiry, has previously criticized the investigation's lack of resources and called its closure "premature and inappropriate."

The Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan was established in 2022 following BBC Panorama reporting that linked an SAS squadron to 54 suspicious deaths during a six-month tour of Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013. The inquiry is examining allegations of murder during detention operations and whether the RMP's investigations were adequate.