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image captionPat Finucane, a 39-year-old Belfast solicitor, was shot dead in front of his wife and children in 1989
The widow of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane has secured the right to legally challenge the British Government for its decision not to hold a public inquiry into state collusion in the killing.
Geraldine Finucane was granted leave to seek a judicial review of the decision.
Secretary of State Brandon Lewis ruled out an inquiry at this time in November 2020.
Mrs Finucane s lawyers claim the decision breached her human rights.
Mr Finucane was 39 when he was shot 14 times by two masked men from the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) in front of his wife and children at his home in February 1989.
Geraldine Finucane challenges lack of public inquiry into husband s killing Geraldine Finucane. Picture by Mal McCann 15 April, 2021 15:34
The widow of murdered solicitor Pat Finucane has secured the right to legally challenge the British Government for deciding not to hold a public inquiry into state collusion in the killing.
Geraldine Finucane was granted leave to seek a judicial review of the position taken by Secretary of State Brandon Lewis.
In November last year Mr Lewis ruled out an inquiry at this time, declaring that other police review processes need to run their course.
But Mrs Finucane s lawyers claim the decision represents an unlawful breach of her human rights.
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Northern Ireland s Secretary of State is to pay £7,500 damages to the widow of solicitor Pat Finucane for excessive delay in deciding not to hold a public inquiry into his murder, the High Court has been told.
Brandon Lewis has 28 days to make the payout for a breach of Geraldine Finucane s human rights.
The agreed order concludes a legal challenge to the 21-month period it took the British Government to act on a finding that the lawyer s killing has never been properly investigated.
Mr Finucane, 39, was shot dead by loyalist paramilitaries in front of his wife and three children at their north Belfast home in February 1989.