The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has lost a legal challenge over the decision not to hold a public inquiry into his killing.

But the Supreme Court also ruled that there had been no effective investigation into the murder.

Mr Finucane was shot 14 times by loyalists as he enjoyed Sunday lunch with his family in February 1989 - an attack that was found to have involved collusion with the state.

His widow Geraldine claimed the government unlawfully "reneged" on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing when it instead ordered an independent review.

The investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Sir Desmond de Silva QC found "shocking" levels of state collusion involving the army, police and MI5, but ruled out an "overarching state conspiracy".

Advertisement

However, the court ruled that while Mrs Finucane had been given "an unequivocal undertaking to hold a public inquiry into her husband's death", the "change of heart on the part of the government" was made in good faith.

Image: Geraldine Finucane, the widow of the murdered Belfast solicitor

Giving judgement, Lord Kerr also dismissed Mrs Finucane's claim that the decision was predetermined, stating: "There is simply no sustainable evidence that the process by which the decision was taken was a sham or that the outcome was predetermined."

But the court did rule that the de Silva review was not compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which required the investigation to be provided with "the means where, if they can be, suspects are identified and, if possible, brought to account".

Lord Kerr added: "It does not follow that a public inquiry of the type which (Mrs Finucane) seeks must be ordered.

"It is for the state to decide... what form of investigation, if indeed any is now feasible, is required in order to meet that requirement."

Giving a statement outside the Supreme Court, Mrs Finucane said: "This is a historic moment. I stand before you today outside the United Kingdom Supreme Court with one simple message: we won.

"The British government now knows that it cannot conceal the truth any longer. They have now been told this by the highest court in the land.

"It is time for the murder of Pat Finucane to be properly and publicly investigated in a public inquiry. Nothing less will suffice."

In a statement from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, he said the Irish government would examine the judgment closely.

The statement said: "The government's position is that an independent public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane should be established, in line with the political commitments made by the British and Irish governments at Weston Park in 2001.

"The government has made this position consistently clear to the British government, and will continue to do so.

"I have met with the Finucane family in recent months, as has the Tanaiste, to confirm the government's ongoing support for their search for truth and justice."</s>The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has lost a Supreme Court challenge over the decision not to hold a public inquiry into his killing, but won a declaration that an effective investigation into his death has not been carried out.

The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has lost a Supreme Court challenge over the decision not to hold a public inquiry into his killing, but won a declaration that an effective investigation into his death has not been carried out.

'We won' - Family of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane lose court challenge over public inquiry but wins important declaration

Mr Finucane was shot dead in front of his family in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

His widow Geraldine claimed the Government unlawfully "reneged" on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing - one of the most notorious of the Troubles - when former prime minister David Cameron instead ordered an independent review.

An investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Sir Desmond de Silva QC found "shocking" levels of state collusion involving the army, police and MI5, but ruled out an "overarching state conspiracy".

On Wednesday, just over 30 years on from her husband's murder, the Supreme Court in London ruled that Mrs Finucane had been given "an unequivocal undertaking to hold a public inquiry into Mr Finucane's death", but that the "change of heart on the part of the government" was made in good faith.

Giving a statement outside the Supreme Court in London after the ruling, Geraldine Finucane said: "This is a historic moment. I stand before you today outside the United Kingdom Supreme Court with one simple message: we won."

She added: "The British Government now knows that it cannot conceal the truth any longer. They have now been told this by the highest court in the land.

"It is time for the murder of Pat Finucane to be properly and publicly investigated in a public inquiry. Nothing less will suffice."

Giving the judgment of the court, Lord Kerr found that the decision not to hold a public inquiry into the murder was a matter for the Government's "political judgment".

He also dismissed Mrs Finucane's contention that the decision was predetermined, stating: "There is simply no sustainable evidence that the process by which the decision was taken was a sham or that the outcome was predetermined."

But the court also ruled that the de Silva review was not compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which required the investigation to be provided with "the means where, if they can be, suspects are identified and, if possible, brought to account".

Lord Kerr declared that there has not been an effective investigation into Mr Finucane's murder, but added: "It does not follow that a public inquiry of the type which (Mrs Finucane) seeks must be ordered.

"It is for the state to decide... what form of investigation, if indeed any is now feasible, is required in order to meet that requirement."

At a hearing in June, Barry Macdonald QC said Mr Finucane was a victim of "a policy of systemic extra-judicial execution that was as cynical and sinister as can be imagined".

He told the UK Supreme Court that "loyalist terrorist organisations were infiltrated, resourced and manipulated in order to murder individuals identified by the army and the police as suitable for assassination".

Mr Macdonald said this policy was "widened" to include lawyers such as Mr Finucane, who represented a number of high-profile republicans.

He concluded: "The police, the army and the security service, MI5, are all implicated in a policy that entailed identifying lawyers with their clients and legitimising them as targets for assassination."

He added: "In other words, state-sponsored terrorism."

The Irish government still wants an independent public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, despite today's decision by the UK Supreme Court.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney told the Dáil: "The Irish government’s position is clear and remains very clear and consistent that an independent public inquiry should be established into the Finucane case"

He said this was commitment was made by the British and the Irish governments at Weston Park in 2001.

Mr Coveney added: "This has been confirmed and reaffirmed by the Taoiseach and myself when we met the Finucane family in recent months. So that is still our position and it’s not going to change regardless of this legal decision."

His remarks came in response to a question from Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins who said his party wants to see a public inquiry take place.

Mr Coveney said today's Supreme Court decision will have to be studied before the government can make an informed commentary about its implications.

But he said: "On the substantive issue, the Irish government’s position remains very consistent and very firm.

"There was an agreement here that there would be a full public inquiry established and that agreement has not been followed through and I think it should be.

"That position isn’t going to change."</s>The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has lost a Supreme Court challenge over the decision not to hold a public inquiry into his killing, but won a declaration that an effective investigation into his death has not been carried out.

Mr Finucane was shot dead in front of his family in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

His widow Geraldine claimed the Government unlawfully “reneged” on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing – one of the most notorious of the Troubles – when former prime minister David Cameron instead ordered an independent review. Pat Finucane was shot dead in front of his family in February 1989 (PA)

An investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Sir Desmond de Silva QC found “shocking” levels of state collusion involving the army, police and MI5, but ruled out an “overarching state conspiracy”.

On Wednesday, just over 30 years on from her husband’s murder, the Supreme Court in London ruled that Mrs Finucane had been given “an unequivocal undertaking to hold a public inquiry into Mr Finucane’s death”, but that the “change of heart on the part of the government” was made in good faith.

Giving the judgment of the court, Lord Kerr found that the decision not to hold a public inquiry into the murder was a matter for the Government’s “political judgment”.

He also dismissed Mrs Finucane’s contention that the decision was predetermined, stating: “There is simply no sustainable evidence that the process by which the decision was taken was a sham or that the outcome was predetermined.”

But the court also ruled that the de Silva review was not compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which required the investigation to be provided with “the means where, if they can be, suspects are identified and, if possible, brought to account”. Mr Finucane’s widow Geraldine claimed the Government unlawfully “reneged” on a promise to hold a public inquiry into his killing (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Lord Kerr declared that there has not been an effective investigation into Mr Finucane’s murder, but added: “It does not follow that a public inquiry of the type which (Mrs Finucane) seeks must be ordered.

“It is for the state to decide… what form of investigation, if indeed any is now feasible, is required in order to meet that requirement.”

At a hearing in June, Barry Macdonald QC said Mr Finucane was a victim of “a policy of systemic extra-judicial execution that was as cynical and sinister as can be imagined”.

He told the Supreme Court that “loyalist terrorist organisations were infiltrated, resourced and manipulated in order to murder individuals identified by the army and the police as suitable for assassination”.

Mr Macdonald said this policy was “widened” to include lawyers such as Mr Finucane, who represented a number of high-profile republicans.

He concluded: “The police, the army and the security service, MI5, are all implicated in a policy that entailed identifying lawyers with their clients and legitimising them as targets for assassination.”

UK supreme court to rule on case brought by family of murderer Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane

The UK's highest court is set to rule on a legal challenge brought by the family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.

Mr Finucane was killed in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

His widow Geraldine claims the Government unlawfully "reneged" on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing, which was one of the most notorious of the Troubles.

Former British prime minister David Cameron decided not to hold a public inquiry into the murder, but instead ordered an investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Desmond de Silva QC.

Mr de Silva found "shocking" levels of state collusion involving the Army, police and MI5 but ruled out an "overarching state conspiracy", prompting Mrs Finucane to describe it as a "whitewash".

In February 2017, Mrs Finucane lost at the Court of Appeal in Belfast when three judges dismissed her case that Mr Cameron's decision to reject a public inquiry was unlawful.

On Wednesday morning, just over 30 years on from her husband's murder, the Supreme Court in London will rule on the latest round of Mrs Finucane's long legal battle.

At a hearing in June, Barry Macdonald QC said Mr Finucane was a victim of "a policy of systemic extra-judicial execution that was as cynical and sinister as can be imagined".

He told a panel of five justices, including the court's president Lady Hale, that "loyalist terrorist organisations were infiltrated, resourced and manipulated in order to murder individuals identified by the Army and the police as suitable for assassination".

He said this policy was "widened" to include lawyers such as Mr Finucane, who represented a number of high-profile republicans.

Mr Macdonald concluded: "The police, the Army and the security service MI5 are all implicated in a policy that entailed identifying lawyers with their clients and legitimising them as targets for assassination."

James Eadie QC, representing the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, told the Supreme Court that the lower courts which considered the case had correctly concluded that the decision-making process relating to the public inquiry was a "thorough, genuine and lawful" one.

At an event in Belfast to mark the 30th anniversary of Mr Finucane's murder earlier this month, his son John said his father had been killed to silence other human rights lawyers.

He said: "It was a deliberate decision to kill him, to silence other lawyers and prevent them from doing that type of work.

"What we see now is a generation coming through with lawyers, people wanting their human rights.

"I think that is very much a legacy of Pat Finucane and what he stands for and represents.

"That gives me enormous pride. While they did silence him, they could not have made a bigger mess of it if they tried.

"The name reverberates around the world and an enormous amount of credit for that is due to my mother."</s>The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has lost a Supreme Court challenge over the decision not to hold a public inquiry into his killing, but won a declaration that an effective investigation into his death has not been carried out.

UK supreme court to rule on case brought by family of murderer Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane

The UK's highest court is set to rule on a legal challenge brought by the family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.

Mr Finucane was killed in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

His widow Geraldine claims the Government unlawfully "reneged" on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing, which was one of the most notorious of the Troubles.

Former British prime minister David Cameron decided not to hold a public inquiry into the murder, but instead ordered an investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Desmond de Silva QC.

Mr de Silva found "shocking" levels of state collusion involving the Army, police and MI5 but ruled out an "overarching state conspiracy", prompting Mrs Finucane to describe it as a "whitewash".

In February 2017, Mrs Finucane lost at the Court of Appeal in Belfast when three judges dismissed her case that Mr Cameron's decision to reject a public inquiry was unlawful.

On Wednesday morning, just over 30 years on from her husband's murder, the Supreme Court in London will rule on the latest round of Mrs Finucane's long legal battle.

At a hearing in June, Barry Macdonald QC said Mr Finucane was a victim of "a policy of systemic extra-judicial execution that was as cynical and sinister as can be imagined".

He told a panel of five justices, including the court's president Lady Hale, that "loyalist terrorist organisations were infiltrated, resourced and manipulated in order to murder individuals identified by the Army and the police as suitable for assassination".

He said this policy was "widened" to include lawyers such as Mr Finucane, who represented a number of high-profile republicans.

Mr Macdonald concluded: "The police, the Army and the security service MI5 are all implicated in a policy that entailed identifying lawyers with their clients and legitimising them as targets for assassination."

James Eadie QC, representing the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, told the Supreme Court that the lower courts which considered the case had correctly concluded that the decision-making process relating to the public inquiry was a "thorough, genuine and lawful" one.

At an event in Belfast to mark the 30th anniversary of Mr Finucane's murder earlier this month, his son John said his father had been killed to silence other human rights lawyers.

He said: "It was a deliberate decision to kill him, to silence other lawyers and prevent them from doing that type of work.

"What we see now is a generation coming through with lawyers, people wanting their human rights.

"I think that is very much a legacy of Pat Finucane and what he stands for and represents.

"That gives me enormous pride. While they did silence him, they could not have made a bigger mess of it if they tried.

"The name reverberates around the world and an enormous amount of credit for that is due to my mother."</s>The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has lost a Supreme Court challenge over the decision not to hold a public inquiry into his killing, but won a declaration that an effective investigation into his death has not been carried out.

Mr Finucane was shot dead in front of his family in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

His widow Geraldine claimed the Government unlawfully 'reneged' on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing - one of the most notorious of the Troubles - when former prime minister David Cameron instead ordered an independent review.

An investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Sir Desmond de Silva QC found 'shocking' levels of state collusion involving the army, police and MI5, but ruled out an 'overarching state conspiracy'.

This morning, just over 30 years on from her husband's murder, the Supreme Court in London ruled that Mrs Finucane had been given 'an unequivocal undertaking to hold a public inquiry into Mr Finucane's death'.

But, the court ruled, the 'change of heart on the part of the government' was made in good faith.

Giving the judgment of the court, Lord Kerr found that the decision not to hold a public inquiry into the murder was a matter for the Government's 'political judgment'.

He also dismissed Mrs Finucane's contention that the decision was predetermined, stating: 'There is simply no sustainable evidence that the process by which the decision was taken was a sham or that the outcome was predetermined.'

But the court also ruled that the de Silva review was not compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which required the investigation to be provided with 'the means where, if they can be, suspects are identified and, if possible, brought to account'.

Lord Kerr declared that there has not been an effective investigation into Mr Finucane's murder, but added: 'It does not follow that a public inquiry of the type which (Mrs Finucane) seeks must be ordered.

'It is for the state to decide... what form of investigation, if indeed any is now feasible, is required in order to meet that requirement.'

At a hearing in June, Barry Macdonald QC said Mr Finucane was a victim of 'a policy of systemic extra-judicial execution that was as cynical and sinister as can be imagined'.

He told the Supreme Court that 'loyalist terrorist organisations were infiltrated, resourced and manipulated in order to murder individuals identified by the army and the police as suitable for assassination'.

Mr Macdonald said this policy was 'widened' to include lawyers such as Mr Finucane, who represented a number of high-profile republicans.

He concluded: 'The police, the army and the security service, MI5, are all implicated in a policy that entailed identifying lawyers with their clients and legitimising them as targets for assassination.'

He added: 'In other words, state-sponsored terrorism.'

Former prime minister David Cameron decided not to hold a public inquiry into the murder, but instead ordered an investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Sir Desmond de Silva QC.

Sir Desmond found 'shocking' levels of state collusion involving the Army, police and MI5 but ruled out an 'overarching state conspiracy', prompting Mrs Finucane to describe it as a 'whitewash'.

In February 2017, Mrs Finucane lost at the Court of Appeal in Belfast when three judges dismissed her case that Mr Cameron's decision to reject a public inquiry was unlawful.

Sir James Eadie QC, representing the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, told the Supreme Court that the lower courts which considered the case had correctly concluded that the decision-making process relating to the public inquiry was a 'thorough, genuine and lawful' one.

At an event in Belfast to mark the 30th anniversary of Mr Finucane's murder earlier this month, his son John said his father had been killed to silence other human rights lawyers.

He said: 'It was a deliberate decision to kill him, to silence other lawyers and prevent them from doing that type of work.

'What we see now is a generation coming through with lawyers, people wanting their human rights.

'I think that is very much a legacy of Pat Finucane and what he stands for and represents.

'That gives me enormous pride. While they did silence him, they could not have made a bigger mess of it if they tried.

'The name reverberates around the world and an enormous amount of credit for that is due to my mother.'</s>The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has lost a Supreme Court challenge over the decision not to hold a public inquiry into his killing, but won a declaration that an effective investigation into his death has not been carried out.

Mr Finucane was shot dead in front of his family in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

His widow Geraldine claimed the Government unlawfully "reneged" on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing - one of the most notorious of the Troubles - when former prime minister David Cameron instead ordered an independent review.

An investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Sir Desmond de Silva QC found "shocking" levels of state collusion involving the army, police and MI5, but ruled out an "overarching state conspiracy".

On Wednesday, just over 30 years on from her husband's murder, the Supreme Court in London ruled that Mrs Finucane had been given "an unequivocal undertaking to hold a public inquiry into Mr Finucane's death", but that the "change of heart on the part of the government" was made in good faith.

Giving the judgment of the court, Lord Kerr found that the decision not to hold a public inquiry into the murder was a matter for the Government's "political judgment".

He also dismissed Mrs Finucane's contention that the decision was predetermined, stating: "There is simply no sustainable evidence that the process by which the decision was taken was a sham or that the outcome was predetermined."

But the court also ruled that the de Silva review was not compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which required the investigation to be provided with "the means where, if they can be, suspects are identified and, if possible, brought to account".

Lord Kerr declared that there has not been an effective investigation into Mr Finucane's murder, but added: "It does not follow that a public inquiry of the type which (Mrs Finucane) seeks must be ordered.

"It is for the state to decide... what form of investigation, if indeed any is now feasible, is required in order to meet that requirement."

At a hearing in June, Barry Macdonald QC said Mr Finucane was a victim of "a policy of systemic extra-judicial execution that was as cynical and sinister as can be imagined".

He told the Supreme Court that "loyalist terrorist organisations were infiltrated, resourced and manipulated in order to murder individuals identified by the army and the police as suitable for assassination".

Mr Macdonald said this policy was "widened" to include lawyers such as Mr Finucane, who represented a number of high-profile republicans.

He concluded: "The police, the army and the security service, MI5, are all implicated in a policy that entailed identifying lawyers with their clients and legitimising them as targets for assassination."

He added: "In other words, state-sponsored terrorism."</s>The family of Pat Finucane, sons John and Michael, daughter Katherine, and wife Geraldine, pictured in London in 2012 Source: Stefan Rousseau via PA Images

THE UK SUPREME Court will today give its judgement in a challenge not to hold a public inquiry into the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane in his family home in 1989.

Finucane, a 39-year-old human rights solicitor, was shot dead in front of his three children and wife Geraldine, who was also injured, on 12 February 1989.

While the UK government in 2011 finally admitted to collusion between the loyalist paramilitaries who killed Finucane and British intelligence services, no member of the security services has ever faced prosecution.

Finucane’s widow Geraldine Finucane was granted permission last year to take an appeal to the Supreme Court questioning the decision of the UK Court of Appeal to deny the family a full inquiry.

She took a case calling for a full public inquiry into the crime to the UK Supreme Court on 26 June 2018.

Finucane’s family had previously accused former prime minister David Cameron of reneging on a promise to hold an inquiry into accusations of state collusion.

Cameron apologised to the Finucane family in the wake of the 2011 review of the murder, and said Finucane could still be alive today had it not been for state involvement.

Geraldine Finucane, however, said the 2011 report had been drawn up without any input from her family.

Comments are closed as legal proceedings are ongoing</s>The family of a murdered solicitor has called for a public inquiry into his killing after a UK court ruled an effective investigation into his death has not been carried out.

Solicitor Pat Finucane was shot dead at his North Belfast home in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch with his family.

His widow Geraldine claimed the Government had unlawfully “reneged” on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing – one of the most notorious of the Troubles – when former prime Minister David Cameron instead ordered an independent review.

The Supreme Court in London ruled on Wednesday that there has been no “effective investigation” into Mr Finucane’s murder, and that previous inquiries had not complied with the Finucane family’s human rights.

But the court also found that, while Mrs Finucane had been given “an unequivocal undertaking” that there would be a public inquiry into the murder, the Government was justified in later deciding against holding one.

Speaking after the ruling, Mrs Finucane said: “This is a historic moment.

“I stand before you today outside the United Kingdom Supreme Court with one simple message – we won.

“The British Government now knows that it cannot conceal the truth any longer. They have now been told this by the highest court in the land.

“It is time for the murder of Pat Finucane to be properly and publicly investigated in a public inquiry. Nothing less will suffice.”

Mr Finucane’s son John said: “Today is a very significant victory along the road of our campaign for truth and justice.”

His brother Michael added: “It is not an option for the Government to ignore our call for a public inquiry anymore.

“It should never have been an option, but it is one that they chose to push to its absolute limit.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he will urge his Prime Minister Theresa May to hold a public inquiry into the murder of Mr Finucane after the Supreme Court ruling.

He told the Dail an inquiry was “the right thing to do, and the honourable thing to do”.</s>The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane have called for his killing to be “properly and publicly investigated in a public inquiry” after the UK’s highest court ruled that an effective investigation into his death has not been carried out.

Mr Finucane was shot dead in front of his family in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

His widow Geraldine claimed the Government had unlawfully “reneged” on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing when former prime minister David Cameron instead ordered an independent review.

The Supreme Court in London ruled yesterday that there has been no “effective investigation” into Mr Finucane’s murder, and that previous inquiries had not complied with the Finucane family’s human rights.

But the court also found that, while Mrs Finucane had been given “an unequivocal undertaking to hold a public inquiry into Mr Finucane’s death”, the Government was justified in later deciding against holding one – and that the “change of heart on the part of the government” was made in good faith.

Giving the judgment of the court, Lord Kerr found that the decision not to hold a public inquiry into the murder was a matter for the Government’s “political judgment”.

He also dismissed Mrs Finucane’s contention that the decision was predetermined, stating: “There is simply no sustainable evidence that the process by which the decision was taken was a sham or that the outcome was predetermined.”

But the court also ruled that the de Silva review – which found “shocking” levels of state collusion involving the army, police and MI5, but ruled out an “overarching state conspiracy” – was not compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which required the investigation to be provided with “the means where, if they can be, suspects are identified and, if possible, brought to account”.

Lord Kerr declared that there has not been an effective investigation into Mr Finucane’s murder, but added: “It does not follow that a public inquiry of the type which (Mrs Finucane) seeks must be ordered.

“It is for the state to decide... what form of investigation, if indeed any is now feasible, is required in order to meet that requirement.”

Speaking after the ruling, Mrs Finucane said: “This is a historic moment. I stand before you today outside the United Kingdom Supreme Court with one simple message: we won.”

She added: “The British Government now knows that it cannot conceal the truth any longer. They have now been told this by the highest court in the land.

“It is time for the murder of Pat Finucane to be properly and publicly investigated in a public inquiry. Nothing less will suffice.”

Mr Finucane’s son John said: “Today is a very significant victory along the road of our campaign for truth and justice.”

Prime Minister Theresa May’s official spokesman said: “We recognise the suffering of Mrs Finucane caused by the appalling murder of her husband.

“In 2012, the then prime minister apologised for the collusion which took place and which should never have happened.

“In relation to the Supreme Court, we are considering that judgment. We will consider it in detail before determining our next steps.”

Asked if this could result in a public inquiry, the spokesman said: “In relation to the judgment, it does not direct the holding of a public inquiry.

“It makes it clear that it is for the state to decide what form of investigation, if indeed any is now feasible, is required in order to meet the investigative requirements.”</s>The Taoiseach has urged Theresa May to do the "honourable thing" and hold a public inquiry into the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane.

The Supreme Court in London ruled on Wednesday that there has been no "effective investigation" into Mr Finucane's murder and that previous inquiries had not complied with the Finucane family's human rights.

Mr Finucane was shot dead in front of his family in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack which an official report later concluded had involved collusion with the UK state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

Mrs Finucane claimed the Government unlawfully "reneged" on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing - one of the most notorious of the Troubles - when former prime minister David Cameron instead ordered an independent review by former war crimes lawyer Desmond de Silva QC.

His review concluded that there had been collusion between the killers and the state and Mr Cameron later apologised.

During Leader's Question's on Wednesday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was asked by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald whether he would ask his UK counterpart to hold an inquiry to address what she labelled "one of the many broken commitments of the peace process".

"I never had the opportunity to meet Pat Finucane, but I've read about him, I know he was an honourable man, a lawyer and human rights activist - long before people even used that term.

"I had the opportunity in recent weeks to meet with Geraldine Finucane and her family," Mr Varadkar said.

"Geraldine made a real impression on me, particularly her dignity and steely resilience seeking justice and truth for three decades now."

Mr Varadkar said: "The position of the Irish government is that the British government should now honour its commitment to now carry out a public inquiry in accordance with the inquiries act, into the murder of Pat Finucane.

"The British Government should keep the promise made by Prime Minister Cameron back in Weston Park in 2001 (Mr Varadkar later corrected the record that this was Tony Blair), and accept the judgment made by the Supreme Court today.

"It is the honourable thing to do, the right thing to do, and I believe the British government should do that.

"I will certainly be raising it in my meetings with the Prime Minister."

He concluded his answer by stating: "I will be pressing my counterpart Theresa May to honour the commitment made by her forebear."

The Supreme Court ruled that the de Silva review was not compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which required the investigation to be provided with "the means where, if they can be, suspects are identified and, if possible, brought to account".

But the court also found that, while Mrs Finucane had been given "an unequivocal undertaking" that there would be a public inquiry into the murder, the UK Government was justified in later deciding against holding one.

The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has lost a Supreme Court challenge over the decision not to hold a public inquiry into his killing, but won a declaration that an effective investigation into his death has not been carried out.

Mr Finucane was shot dead in front of his family in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

His widow Geraldine claimed the Government unlawfully “reneged” on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing – one of the most notorious of the Troubles – when former prime minister David Cameron instead ordered an independent review. Pat Finucane was shot dead in front of his family in February 1989 (PA)

An investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Sir Desmond de Silva QC found “shocking” levels of state collusion involving the army, police and MI5, but ruled out an “overarching state conspiracy”.

On Wednesday, just over 30 years on from her husband’s murder, the Supreme Court in London ruled that Mrs Finucane had been given “an unequivocal undertaking to hold a public inquiry into Mr Finucane’s death”, but that the “change of heart on the part of the government” was made in good faith.

Giving the judgment of the court, Lord Kerr found that the decision not to hold a public inquiry into the murder was a matter for the Government’s “political judgment”.

He also dismissed Mrs Finucane’s contention that the decision was predetermined, stating: “There is simply no sustainable evidence that the process by which the decision was taken was a sham or that the outcome was predetermined.”

But the court also ruled that the de Silva review was not compliant with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which required the investigation to be provided with “the means where, if they can be, suspects are identified and, if possible, brought to account”. Mr Finucane’s widow Geraldine claimed the Government unlawfully “reneged” on a promise to hold a public inquiry into his killing (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Lord Kerr declared that there has not been an effective investigation into Mr Finucane’s murder, but added: “It does not follow that a public inquiry of the type which (Mrs Finucane) seeks must be ordered.

“It is for the state to decide… what form of investigation, if indeed any is now feasible, is required in order to meet that requirement.”

At a hearing in June, Barry Macdonald QC said Mr Finucane was a victim of “a policy of systemic extra-judicial execution that was as cynical and sinister as can be imagined”.

He told the Supreme Court that “loyalist terrorist organisations were infiltrated, resourced and manipulated in order to murder individuals identified by the army and the police as suitable for assassination”.

Mr Macdonald said this policy was “widened” to include lawyers such as Mr Finucane, who represented a number of high-profile republicans.

He concluded: “The police, the army and the security service, MI5, are all implicated in a policy that entailed identifying lawyers with their clients and legitimising them as targets for assassination.”

UK supreme court to rule on case brought by family of murderer Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane

The UK's highest court is set to rule on a legal challenge brought by the family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane.

Mr Finucane was killed in February 1989 by loyalists in an attack found to have involved collusion with the state.

The 39-year-old was shot 14 times while enjoying Sunday lunch at home with his family.

His widow Geraldine claims the Government unlawfully "reneged" on a promise to hold a public inquiry into the killing, which was one of the most notorious of the Troubles.

Former British prime minister David Cameron decided not to hold a public inquiry into the murder, but instead ordered an investigation by former UN war crimes prosecutor Desmond de Silva QC.

Mr de Silva found "shocking" levels of state collusion involving the Army, police and MI5 but ruled out an "overarching state conspiracy", prompting Mrs Finucane to describe it as a "whitewash".

In February 2017, Mrs Finucane lost at the Court of Appeal in Belfast when three judges dismissed her case that Mr Cameron's decision to reject a public inquiry was unlawful.

On Wednesday morning, just over 30 years on from her husband's murder, the Supreme Court in London will rule on the latest round of Mrs Finucane's long legal battle.

At a hearing in June, Barry Macdonald QC said Mr Finucane was a victim of "a policy of systemic extra-judicial execution that was as cynical and sinister as can be imagined".

He told a panel of five justices, including the court's president Lady Hale, that "loyalist terrorist organisations were infiltrated, resourced and manipulated in order to murder individuals identified by the Army and the police as suitable for assassination".

He said this policy was "widened" to include lawyers such as Mr Finucane, who represented a number of high-profile republicans.

Mr Macdonald concluded: "The police, the Army and the security service MI5 are all implicated in a policy that entailed identifying lawyers with their clients and legitimising them as targets for assassination."

James Eadie QC, representing the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, told the Supreme Court that the lower courts which considered the case had correctly concluded that the decision-making process relating to the public inquiry was a "thorough, genuine and lawful" one.

At an event in Belfast to mark the 30th anniversary of Mr Finucane's murder earlier this month, his son John said his father had been killed to silence other human rights lawyers.

He said: "It was a deliberate decision to kill him, to silence other lawyers and prevent them from doing that type of work.

"What we see now is a generation coming through with lawyers, people wanting their human rights.

"I think that is very much a legacy of Pat Finucane and what he stands for and represents.

"That gives me enormous pride. While they did silence him, they could not have made a bigger mess of it if they tried.

"The name reverberates around the world and an enormous amount of credit for that is due to my mother."
The family of Pat Finucane, murdered during The Troubles in Northern Ireland, win a declaration from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom that the investigation into his killing was sufficiently ineffective to amount to a failure of the state's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Supreme Court stops short of mandating a public inquiry as requested by the family. Members of the security services are accepted to have colluded with Finucane's murderers, but the scale and nature of collusion is unclear.