THE family of a murdered Belfast mother-of-three have ended a six-year legal battle to ensure her killing is included in a major police investigation into the former top British spy inside the IRA.
Proceedings were withdrawn at the High Court following confirmation that the abduction and shooting of Caroline Moreland features in Operation Kenova, the probe examining activities of the state agent codenamed Stakeknife.
Her son's lawyer predicted the murder will form an important part of findings ultimately reached by the inquiry being headed by former Bedfordshire Chief Constable Jon Boutcher.
Ms Moreland, a 34-year-old Catholic, was tortured and killed by the IRA in July 1994 on suspicion of being a British informer.
Despite an RUC investigation at the time, no-one has ever been charged or prosecuted in connection with her death.
It is alleged that Stakeknife was directly involved in her interrogation and shooting.
The army agent has been widely named as west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci, who left Northern Ireland in 2003 after denying he was the spy while in charge of the IRA's internal security unit.
In 2016 Mr Boutcher was brought in by the PSNI to lead an independent team of detectives examining Stakeknife's alleged role in a series of kidnappings, tortures and murders.
Ms Moreland's family sought a judicial review after her killing was originally said to have been excluded from the wider, thematic investigation.
The legal action, brought by her son Marc Moreland, centred on claims that the murder was unlawfully shut out.
But the challenge was ended following confirmation that the case has been deemed within Operation Kenova's terms of reference and has been investigated for the past two years.