The chairman of the Victoria Climbie inquiry has reprimanded a Government watchdog for delaying the publication of its findings.

The inquiry was forced to reconvene on Tuesday after it was revealed that a vital report by the Social Services Inspectorate was submitted three weeks after the 59-day inquiry closed in February.

The document casts doubt over a more favourable report into the state of Haringey social services, which was responsible for eight-year-old Victoria at the time of her death.

It has delayed the publication of the inquiry's findings by at least three months. Publication is not expected until the end of the year.

Chairman Lord Laming said: "I cannot emphasise strongly enough that I did not expect to encounter any such difficulties with a department of Government, least of all from one of the departments that established this inquiry."

Haringey social services department has been heavily criticised during the inquiry into the death of Victoria, who died in February 2000 with 128 separate injuries to her body.

She had suffered months of abuse by her great aunt Marie Therese Kouao and Kouao's lover Carl Manning. They are both serving life for her murder.

July 12, 2002 10:01