Finucane report: Clear evidence of state collusion

Sir Desmond de Silva QC found that an RUC officer or officers singled Mr Finucane out for assassination by loyalist paramilitaries and that the army and Special Branch had advance notice of a series of planned Ulster Defence Association (UDA) assassinations, including that of Mr Finucane, but did nothing to prevent them.

The report also found that two agents in the pay of the state, William Stobie and Brian Nelson (both now dead), together with another who later became an agent of the state, played "key roles in the murder."

It further stated that Mr Nelson should "properly be considered to be acting in a position equivalent to an employee of the Ministry of Defence (MoD)."

"It cannot be argued that these were rogue agents," the report said.

The review found that the army had "a degree of responsibility" for targeting activities carried out by Mr Nelson, the PM said.

Sir Desmond found that there was a "relentless" effort to defeat the ends of justice after the killing and that army officials provided the MoD with highly misleading and inaccurate information.

However, the report stopped conspicuously short of laying any blame at the door of the government saying that there was "no over-arching conspiracy."

While the QC accused successive British governments of a "wilful and abject failure" to implement an appropriate legal framework for running agents within paramilitary groups, he said he had found no evidence that ministers were aware of the plot to kill the solicitor.