THE Loughinisland investigation was widened to include several other UVF attacks including the murder of Jack Kielty - father of comedian and presenter Patrick Kielty.
Several shootings were carried out in the south Down area in the late 80s and early 90s by a UVF unit based in the area.
However Dr Maguire’s report has produced evidence that the UVF in south Down was linked to the activities of the paramilitary organisation in other areas.
Several of the incidents are linked through ballistics reports, personnel and intelligence.
The Czech-made VZ-58 that was used at Loughinisland was recovered by the PSNI near Crossgar in Co Down in August 1994.
It was discovered close to where a holdall containing several hand guns was found by workmen.
Dr Maguire confirmed that the Loughinisland VZ-58 had also been used to murder Catholic Joseph Reynolds in east Belfast in October 1993.
The 40-year-old west Belfast man was gunned down by the UVF as he travelled to work at Shorts aircraft complex.
The same weapon was also used during a gun attack at McCabe’s Butchers at Cromac Street in south Belfast in March 1994.
No-one was injured in the attack which the UVF later claimed was carried out by a joint unit from east Belfast and mid Ulster.
One of the recovered handguns, a 9mm Browning type pistol, was linked to the attempted murder of Samuel Madine in Mountainview Street in north Belfast in January 1992.
In December that year north Belfast man Martin Lavery was shot dead in the living room of his Crumlin Road home with the same gun.
In February 1993 the gun was also used during the attempted murder of James Rice at Boucher Crescent in south Belfast.
Mr Rice suffered a wound to his leg before a gunman made off.
Mr Maguire has said he does not know if the Loughinisland VZ-58 was used in any other incidents.
As part of his report Dr Maguire looked at intelligence and other factors linking “pre-cursor crimes to the Loughinisland attack” in south Down and north Belfast involving a small UVF unit.
The identities of some of those involved were known to police in 1993.
Cases examined by the ombudsman included that of Jack Kielty in Dundrum in January 1988.
Other incidents included conspiracy to murder Peter McCarthy at the Thierafurth Inn in Kilcoo in November 1992 and the murder of Catholic man Peter McCormack at the same bar later that month.
The ombudsman also referred to the attempted murder of John Henry Smyth in June 1993 in Castlewellan.
That attack was subsequently linked by intelligence to the same UVF unit believed to have been responsible for Loughinisland.
The killing of Martin Lavery in north Belfast also falls into this series of murders.
The ombudsman concluded that according to evidence of a police officer that the security forces in the Newcastle sub division “had been compromised, principally from the UDR but also within the local RUC, through either direct involvement with loyalist paramilitaries, associations or sympathies”.
He also confirmed that at least three individuals and their families directly associated with the UVF in south Down were also UDR members.
“They also had close family members working locally at RUC establishments and within the police force itself,” he said.
He also said that intelligence was largely not passed on to investigators while RUC attention was focused on the IRA.
The ombudsman also revealed that a police officer based in the area had linked some cases but was “apparently not sighted on the identities of most of those involved”.
