Ken Barrett, the Shankill loyalist who pleaded guilty on Monday to the murder of Mr Pat Finucane, was yesterday sentenced to life at Belfast Crown Court.
Barrett (41) was ordered by Mr Justice Weir to serve a minimum tariff of 22 years, but he may be freed next year under the early release scheme which followed the Belfast Agreement.
The court sentenced Barrett to some 136 years' jail on 12 counts ranging from the murder of Mr Finucane in 1989 to the shooting of the dead lawyer's widow on the night of the killing.
The judge told him the only reason Barrett had given in the papers for not shooting Mrs Geraldine Finucane dead rather than in the foot was that he thought to have done so would have generated negative publicity for the UDA.
He was also convicted of two counts of attempted murder, membership of the Ulster Freedom Fighters, a cover name for the UDA, and a range of offences connected to the theft and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life.
The judge said his recommendation that Barrett serve a minimum term of 22 years reflected the gravity of the crimes, the accused's lack of expression of regret or remorse and other aggravating factors. He said he had taken Barrett's late change of plea into consideration.
Handing down sentence, the judge said Barrett had murdered a husband and father with cold premeditation and that his chilling accounts of the killing to police officers and journalists showed he had shown no compunction or hesitation. He added: "I have no doubt that an object of this brutal crime was to intimidate and thereby deter other members of the legal profession from carrying out their duty to represent without fear or favour all those, including terrorists such as you, who come to them for professional advice and assistance.
"It is greatly to the credit of the profession that it has not allowed itself to be intimidated or deterred by this or other outrages carried out for the same purpose."
He said he had searched through papers for evidence of acceptance of wrongdoing but had instead found "only boastful expressions of self satisfaction".
Mr Justice Weir added that even after 15 years it would have cost the accused nothing to let it be known of his regrets at the murder. Barrett showed no emotion as he heard the verdict and sentence.
Earlier, Mr Arthur Harvey QC, for the accused, told the court there was evidence to suggest that Barrett had not fired the fatal shots on the night of the murder in February 1989.
Asked by Mr Justice Weir if it was Barrett's case that he did not shoot Mr Finucane, Mr Harvey said: "He feels any statements made by him in this court in relation to these charges may and indeed will place him in further danger over and above that which he is already under, as testified by the arrangement made to bring him here to court."
Counsel added that it was his belief the accused felt regret at the murder. He said he had not been instructed, however, to convey to the court expressions of regret nor had he sought them.
The judge said his minimum tariff recommendation took account of the time Barrett had spent on remand since his arrest and return to Northern Ireland in May last year.
He said he accepted that the Sentence Review Commission could make decisions regarding Barrett's early release.
"Such applications are entirely outside the control of the criminal courts and therefore my decisions on sentence in your case must of necessity be made without reference to how, if at all, the provisions of the [Northern Ireland sentences\] 1998 Act might affect your position," he said.
Outside the court Mr Johnston Brown, the detective sergeant who along with his colleague Mr Trevor McIlwrath, covertly taped Barrett's admissions of guilt, said the proceeding marked "a good day for Northern Ireland".
Both men said that if Barrett were freed under the terms of the Belfast Agreement, they would remain marked men for the rest of their lives. Having earlier described Barrett as the most sinister man he had ever encountered, Mr Brown told reporters yesterday: "You're looking at a Freddy Kruger here. This guy is never going to lie down."
He added: "When you look at what happened to Pat Finucane, that's what he did to him, put bullets in his face.
"So I will be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life."
The SDLP and Sinn Féin noted the sentence and demanded again that the British government call their promised judicial inquiry into the murder.
The Committee on the Administration of Justice, Amnesty International, British Irish Rights Watch and Human Rights First also called for an inquiry.
Mr Michael Finucane, the murdered solicitor's son, said last night that the sentencing of Barrett "had never been a priority for us". Reiterating the family's call for an inquiry he said the British government should stop delaying it.