Inquiry sought after Special Branch allegations

The SDLP has demanded a full inquiry into allegations that senior RUC officers suppressed a tape-recorded confession of a loyalist admitting the murder of Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane.

The claims were made on a TV programme last night with other senior officers saying they were more afraid of the RUC Special Branch than they were of the IRA.

RUC Det Sgt Johnston Brown told the programme he and a Special Branch officer had surreptitiously taped a loyalist informer boasting how he had emptied his gun into Pat Finucane's face.

The man was never charged and Det Sgt Brown said he had been threatened by Special Branch officers if he ever told the truth.

Another police officer told the programme that he was more frightened of Special Branch than he was of the IRA and that if he had a car accident his wife knew to demand a full investigation.

The SDLP's Alex Attwood said public confidence had been further eroded by the claims and demanded a full inquiry.

The Pat Finucane centre in Derry said the resident RUC chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan had questions to answer as he was in charge of Special Branch surveillance and intelligence gathering at the time of Pat Finucane's murder.