Public inquiry needed, says son

THE STEVENS reports confirms everything the Finucane family has been saying since the murder of Pat Finucane in 1989.

But the difference between John Stevens and the Finucane family is that the London metropolitan police chief is going down the road of prosecutions, as opposed to calls for a public inquiry, according to the son of the dead solicitor.

Michael Finucane, who was present when gunman burst into the family’s north Belfast home and shot dead his father praised the report for its thoroughness and the fact Stevens appears to have put in a great deal of work.

“He has said what is coming out of the report will have value in the future, something that’s going to have an impact on law enforcement right across Britain, from Scotland Yard to special branch.

“That’s fine if all you are doing is a management review but that’s not the situation here and that’s why we need a public inquiry,” he said.

On the central issue of what, if anything, politicians knew of the activities of the Force Research Unit, Mr Finucane said while Stevens has said evidence has not yet been found, he will continue to probe and many find it in the future.

The report said the murder of Pat Finucane could have been prevented and that the RUC investigation was deeply flawed.

“We never really believed that the RUC had any real motivation or interest in investigating it properly.

“Pat was aware that threats were made. His clients were constantly reporting to him about threats being made by RUC officers.

“We had never any confidence in the RUC investigation and this is just confirmation of what we always believed,” he said.

Mr Finucane’s call for a public inquiry is echoed, for different reasons, by Martin Ingram, the pseudonym of a former member of the Force Research Unit in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Writing in the Guardian newspaper, he said: “I know there was collusion, yet I have to treat Sir John’s report with some scepticism. He has a chance to expose what really went on in Northern Ireland, but I fear he will not seize it.”

Mr Ingram said any investigation into the dirty war in the North should also include a thorough look a Stakeknife, the British agent who was and remains a high-ranking IRA member in Belfast.

“There is no law preventing the army from recruiting and running agents within terrorist groups, but there are laws preventing people committing murder. And take it from me, Stakeknife is a multiple murderer,” he said.

“I don’t want Stakeknife to be exposed. He would be killed. I believe he should be withdrawn and relocated. Then Sir John could conduct a proper inquiry into collusion between terrorists and army and state agencies.”