Finucane accused on further charge

Stobie also accused of murdering Belfast solicitor

The man accused of murdering Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane eleven years ago has been charged with a second killing.

The high profile Catholic solicitor was shot in front of his family by loyalists who burst into his home in 1989.

William Alfred Stobie, 48, from South River Road in Belfast, denies the charge of murdering Mr Finucane.

William Stobie: Only man charged with Finucane murder

At Belfast Magistrates' Court on Wednesday Mr Stobie denied murdering a student Adam Lambert on 9 November 1987.

Mr Lambert, 19, from the Highfield area of west Belfast was shot by loyalists while working on a project with a colleague. He was said to have been mistaken to be a Catholic.

A detective told the court that when Mr Stobie was charged on Tuesday he replied: "Not guilty. On the day of the murder the police should know I had two witnesses who can confirm I was nowhere near the murder of Adam Lambert."

The police officer said he believed he could connect Mr Stobie to the charge.

He said that Mr Stobie was suspected of supplying the weapon and driving the getaway car in the murder of Mr Lambert.

'Same evidence'

Mr Stobie's solicitor, Joe Rice, told the court his client had denied involvement in the killing on the three occasions he had been interviewed, the first in 1987.

Under cross-examination from Mr Rice the police detective confirmed that Mr Stobie had been arrested and questioned three times, in 1987, 1990 and 1999.

He also confirmed that Stobie had given police his alibi in 1987, but was unable to say if it had been investigated.

Mr Rice said the evidence in the case was "basically the same" as that in the Finucane investigation and that that evidence had been provided by a Northern Ireland Office civil servant, Neil Mulholland.

Mr Stobie was remanded in custody for four weeks.

A bail application will be heard later on Wednesday.

Mr Stobie had been released on bail awaiting trial on the Pat Finucane murder charge.

The Finucane murder has been the subject of an external investigation headed by Metropolitan Police Commissioner John Stevens for the past year.

In court Mr Rice recently called on the Stevens inquiry team who are also investigating allegations of security force collusion in the murder to try his client or drop the charges.

He told the court on Wednesday that his client believed that the new charge would slow up the investigation to get to the heart of the Finucane murder case.

Lambert family appeal

Meanwhile Adam Lambert's parents appealed for any witnesses to their son's murder to come forward.

Brian and Ivy Lambert: Justice must be done

At a news conference organised by the Steven's inquiry team on Wednesday Brian and Ivy Lambert said it was important to them that those responsible were brought to justice.

Ivy Lambert said: "I know it is quite a number of years since Adam died, but his loss is still very great to us.

"He was lovely young man who had done very well at school and who was on the threshold of a great career. We miss him terribly."

Mr Lambert added: "Justice must be done and be seen to be done, not just as a punishment for the person who did it, but as an example to other people.

"Another chapter has to be closed. It is very upsetting to think that whoever did the need is walking about somewhere."