Official title: Overview of the murder of Patrick Finucane
What this chapter covers
Chapter 12 opens the part of the report dealing with the murder. In two pages it sets out the basic facts and introduces the strands of evidence that the following chapters examine one by one.
The facts in outline
On the evening of Sunday 12 February 1989, UDA gunmen entered the Finucane family home in north Belfast and shot Pat Finucane as he sat with his family. His wife was wounded. He was 39. The UDA claimed the killing, using the cover name Ulster Freedom Fighters, and falsely described him as a member of the IRA; police investigations, including those led by Sir John Stevens, found that he was not.
The strands that follow
- the weapon used (chapter 13 and chapter 22);
- public and private statements about solicitors (chapter 14 and chapter 15);
- what was known about threats to him (chapter 16 and chapter 17);
- the conduct of RUC officers (chapters 18 to 20);
- Brian Nelson's role (chapter 21).