A FORMER Leigh Grammar School pupil will lead the probe into the terrorist killing of Northern Ireland lawyer Rosemary Nelson.

David Phillips, head of the Kent Force, attended LGS in the late 1950s.

Mr Phillips, 54, married with a son, has been heavily involved in drawing up national plans to speed up and improve murder investigations.

His appointment follows claims by MPs, including Worsley's Terry Lewis, that the security forces may have colluded in her killing by the renegade Loyalist Red Hand Defenders.

In a Commons Motion put down by London Labour MP Ken Livingstone, and signed by Mr Lewis, it is noted that Mrs Nelson had received several threats from RUC officers which were not taken seriously.

The Nationalist lawyer, a 40-year-old mother of three, was blown up in her silver BMW, less than 100 yards from the primary school attended by her eight year old daughter Sarah. Her two older sons are now flying back from a school ski trip in France.

Mrs Nelson had come under more serious threats since she began to represent the residents of the Nationalist Garvaghy Road, who were protesting about Orange Order Marches by Protestants through their community. Just days ago she was discussing this issue at Downing Street with Prime Minister Tony Blair.

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