The father of murdered Canadian teenager Rebecca Middleton and former Attorney General Elliot Mottley are to be invited to appear before the probe into serious crime.

And victims of serious crime and their families are also being asked to contribute. But the Commission for Inquiry said no such appeal had gone to former Police Commissioner Colin Coxall who, like Mr. Mottley, was in charge during the bungled investigation into the 1996 murder.

Commission Chairman Stanley Moore said Mr. Mottley might be able to assist on the issue of granting immunity from prosecution.

He said: "I believe there are many persons who think this is a welcome step and he may have a useful contribution to make.'' He said the invitations had only just been made and he hadn't heard from either Mr. Mottley or Mr. Middleton. He said: "From what I read in the press Mr. Mottley has indicated his willingness to come if asked to and hopefully he will be here.'' And he said Mr. Middleton's lawyer had indicated his client's willingness to attend.

Mr. Middleton, who had expressed anxiety about the cost of attending the hearing, will have his expenses paid, said Mr. Moore.

But he said there was no need to invite Colin Coxall. He said: "We will cross every hurdle when we reach it. There hasn't been any material which has surfaced which would indicate the necessity for calling him.'' Mr. Moore explained why the Commission wanted to hear from crime victims. He said: "We are looking to see whether we could recommend a series of procedures be put in place by some public agency designed to deal with the victims of crime to try and address some of the trauma such victims place.'' Fellow Commission member Don Dovaston said victims or their families could pass on any shortcomings or success of the system so the Commission's recommendations could help future victims.

Asked about claims that Police morale had slumped following public criticism in the inquiry, Mr. Dovaston said it was the first time he had heard of this.