The commissioners studying the handling of serious crimes in Bermuda will meet their deadline and officially hand their findings over to the Governor on Friday.

Chairman of the inquiry Justice Stanley Moore, former British Deputy Chief Constable Don Dovaston and Bermudian lawyer Shirley Simmons will be making a number of recommendations to improve the process of investigation and prosecution of offences on the Island.

They spent four weeks at public sessions hearing evidence from witnesses, including Director of Public Prosecutions Khamisi Tokunbo, Police Commissioner Jean-Jacques Lemay, and members of the public, before beginning the task of writing their report.

Mr. Moore and Mr. Dovaston agreed to hear evidence again yesterday from Rick Meens, who is a family friend of murdered Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton.

They said he handed over documentation, which has been officially submitted to the inquiry as evidence, to illustrate the effect of serious crime on the victims and their families.

It is very unlikely that former Police chief Colin Coxall, who was in charge of the force when Rebecca was killed in July 1996, will meet with the commissioners to give evidence now.

Mr. Justice Moore said last night: "We have got on very well and hope it (the report) will be comprehensive and handed in on time.

"We plan to hand it over at 4 p.m. on Friday at Government House, which means we will have completed our work within the very limited period of six weeks.

"It has meant working long hours, but we have managed to do it.'' Deputy Governor Tim Gurney repeated last night that it was Governor Thorold Masefield's intention to release the report to the public, after first digesting its contents.

MURDER MUR CRIME CRM