Blair Peach report to be made public

Via Pickled Politics, Sky News report that the report by then Commander John Cass into the death of Blair Peach is to be made public.

Peach died at an anti NF rally and it has long been rumoured that officers from the Met's notorious SPG were responsible for the head injuries which killed him.

A couple of years ago I made an FOI request to the Met for the Cass report. Usually it takes the full 20 days before you hear if the info you want exists; let alone if they'll release it. This time, almost by return of post, I got a firm 'no' citing the fact that the case was still open and the report could prejudice any investigation.

Sky News says:

"legal advisers to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson have indicated he is obliged to publish the report under Freedom of Information laws, and this could happen before the end of the year."

It seems that an organisation's claim for witholding information under FOI exemptions is really only as strong as its will to resist, above and beyond purely legal definitions. It is also dependent on the level of pressure that can be applied. The release of the Government's Lockerbie correspondence being a case in point.