UK report says asylum seekers abuse allegations were not properly investigated

LONDON - A new report condemns the way U.K. authorities investigated claims of abuse made by asylum seekers.

The Northern Ireland police ombudsman studied the claims after complaints that security contractors did not properly use restraint techniques when carrying out deportations.

The investigator, Nuala O'Loan, says there wasn't systematic abuse. But there were a number of worrying cases.

Of the 29 cases she examined, she says 18 investigations were either inadequate or not carried out at all.

Three cases resulted in serious injuries, including a punctured lung.

The report Friday also says that some case files could not be examined because they had been left in a rat-infested area and had become so contaminated they were a health risk.