THE Attorney General has apologised to a Golders Green mother for denying her request for a new inquest into her son's death.

Baroness Scotland has overturned her previous decision and allowed Erica Duggan, 63, to apply to the High Court for a second inquest into the mysterious death of her 22-year-old son Jeremiah.

The body of the Jewish student was discovered on a motorway in Wiesbaden on March 27, 2003, the same day he had earlier attended an anti-war event organised by the Schiller Institute.

A German inquest ruled he killed himself, but this was subsequently overruled by Hornsey coroner Dr William Dolman, who found he had been in a “state of terror” when he died.

Dr Dolman said the prospect of a suicide verdict was "impossible", but the Attorney General originally refused to allow another inquest on the grounds there was insufficient evidence.

In her letter to Mrs Duggan last week, Baroness Scotland wrote: "I offer my apology for the adminstrative failings within my office that meant your application had to be reconsidered.

"I regret your application was not properly dealt with when it was first submitted and the delays and angst the process to remedy those failings has caused you and your family.

"I have granted my fiat because I am of the view on reconsidering your application that there are unanswered questions from the inquest into Jeremiah's death as to whether the fatal injuries he suffered are in fact attributable to a car accident."

Mrs Duggan is convinced her son died as a result of his involvement with right-wing activist Lyndon LaRouche, whose ideas inspired the Schiller Institute.

German police said Mr Duggan was fatally injured after running into the path of two oncoming cars in 2003, but the coroner's pathologist said Mr Duggan's injuries were consistent with being beaten around the head.

The original inquest heard Mr Duggan phoned his mother Erica shortly before he died, saying: "Mum, I'm in big trouble."

He also phoned his girlfriend, telling her: "They do experiments on human beings, with computers and magnetic waves."

Speaking to the Times Series, Mrs Duggan said: "After seven years it is good to get an apology. It is clear when the Attorney General made her original decision she did not have access to all the relevant documents, such as my witness statement.

"On the one hand I'm terribly pleased that she has reconsidered her decision and has been courageous enough to say sorry, but on the other hand it is very frustrating that we've had to wait so long to get justice.

"I just hope now there won't be any other failures and we will finally get what we want."

The case is due to go in front of the High Court in six weeks and a decision is expected within the year.