Independent report

The Report of the Patrick Finucane Review

This document contains the following information: The Report of the Patrick Finucane Review.

• From: Patrick Finucane Review
• Published: 12 December 2012
• Last updated: 16 January 2015 — See all updates

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The Report of the Patrick Finucane Review - Full Text

Ref: ISBN 9780102981087, HC 802

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This document contains the following information: The Report of the Patrick Finucane Review.

Patrick Finucane, a practising lawyer who frequently acted for prominent members of the IRA, was murdered in his home in North Belfast by the loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) on the evening of 12 February 1989. Earlier reports by Lord Stevens and Judge Cory (HCP 470, 2003-04, ISBN 9780102927412) came to clear conclusions that there was collusion but there has still been only limited information in the public domain. Sir Desmond de Silva was tasked with producing a full public account of any involvement by the Army, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the Security Service (MI5) or other UK government body in the murder.

Overall, de Silva was left in significant doubt as to whether Patrick Finucane would have been murdered by the UDA had it not been for the different strands of involvement by elements of the State. Furthermore there was a series of positive actions by employees of the State that actively furthered and facilitated his murder and that, in the aftermath there was a relentless attempt to defeat the ends of justice.

However, each of the facets of the collusion that were manifest – the passage of information from members of the security forces to the UDA, the failure to act on threat intelligence, the participation of State agents in the murder and the subsequent failure to investigate and arrest key members of the West Belfast UDA – can each be explained by wider thematic issues which have been examined as part of the Review

This paper was laid before Parliament in response to a legislative requirement or as a Return to an Address and was ordered to be printed by the House of Commons.

Read the government’s 2015 report on lessons learnt from the de Silva report.

Published 12 December 2012
Last updated 16 January 2015 + show all updates

1. 16 January 2015

   Added link to government report in response to the da Silva report.

2. 12 December 2012

   First published.