Soldiers want Finucane inquiry to clear names

Undercover soldiers at the centre of the Pat Finucane murder investigation are prepared to face any public inquiry into the affair, it was revealed today.

Former members of the Force Research Unit claimed they wanted to clear themselves of any allegations of collusion in the shooting by loyalists of the Belfast solicitor in February 1989.

The British government has indicated an inquiry will go ahead once the trial of a loyalist charged with killing Mr Finucane is out of the way.

It is expected to begin in September.

But relatives of Mr Finucane are pressing Downing Street to make an immediate commitment following the agreement to go ahead with three other new inquiries into controversial killings.

In a statement today, a London-based legal team representing the soldiers said: “It is quite extraordinary that a decision has been made not to have the public inquiry, which the soldiers wanted, in order to avoid prejudicing a current trial and yet to put into the public domain material which must be highly prejudicial to that case.”

The British government released four reports by retired Canadian judge Peter Cory into the controversial murders of Mr Finucane, human rights lawyer Rosemary Nelson, Catholic father of two Robert Hamill and Loyalist Volunteer Force leader Billy Wright.