Real IRA man from Strabane John Brady hanged himself in Strand Road police station in Derry in 2008
Real IRA man John Brady, 40, was found dead at Derry’s Strand Road police station in October 2009.
The case is shrouded in controversy over allegations that two officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) C3 unit – formerly known as Special Branch – visited the veteran republican three times before his death.
Rumours of C3 involvement have led to speculation that Mr Brady may have been subjected to a bid to turn him into an informer before he hanged himself in a consultation room.
The veteran republican was coming to the end of a life sentence for murder, but was being questioned about an alleged assault after being arrested in Strabane while on weekend parole from prison.
The Police Ombudsman examined these claims and found no evidence to support them.
The ombudsman said two intelligence officers did attempt to gain access to Mr Brady but were turned away by custody staff – a finding investigators said was substantiated by CCTV.
This footage will play a key part in the inquest into Brady’s death.
A number of preliminary hearings have taken place over recent years.
At the latest hearing in Belfast on Friday, coroner Joe McCrisken said the inquest will start on November 5 as planned.
“I think I said in reasonably robust terms on the last occasion, we start on the 5th of November,” he said.
“We managed to get a court in derry, which is extremely difficult, so we are not moving.”
The hearing on Friday was also told that an “extensive” witness list is being finalised.
Another preliminary hearing is set to take place on September 26.
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