The public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Patrick Finucane opened its first hearing on June 10. The inquiry is examining the circumstances of his death in 1989.

Finucane, aged 38, was shot dead by loyalist paramilitary gunmen at his home in north Belfast. The killing was later found to have involved collusion by elements of the state.

Successive governments resisted calls for a full public inquiry for decades. The current proceedings are expected to scrutinise the role of state agents and the intelligence services.

The case is one of the most prominent linked to the conflict known as the Troubles. It has connections to wider controversies about British agents operating inside paramilitary organisations, including the UDA and the IRA.

The inquiry will hear from witnesses and review relevant documents. Campaigners and the Finucane family have long pressed for transparency over what they describe as a cover-up.