A Portadown man has been remembered as a loving father, brother and son who was killed simply because he was a Catholic. Relatives of Robert Hamill and the family's legal representative said they demanded the truth over his killing.
Barra McGrory QC told the inquiry the family believed the police investigation into Mr Hamill's death was neglected because of his religion, while the people who killed him were bigots who considered attacking a Catholic a badge of honour.
Mr Hamill's sister said her family, and especially her mother Jessie, had been shattered by their loss and the painful journey they had to take since his death.
"It has taken its toll on us. It has been very, very hard over 12 years," she said.
"My father died in 2000. My father died a sad and broken man. He was broken-hearted for the three years after he lost Robert, he never got over it. They basically took my daddy as well.
"And it has traumatised the rest of us, especially my mummy. Unless you have been through it, you can't understand what is has been like."
Asked if her family believed the truth could be uncovered, she answered: "We can only hope and pray."
Mr McGrory said Mr Hamill was a shy but popular and good-looking man who was well-liked and who was regarded as generous and considerate.
He recalled that he kept a bedside vigil when one of his sons suffered meningitis and alerted hospital staff when his condition worsened, while one of his last acts was to buy his mother a new suite of furniture.
"He was utterly non-political," said Mr McGrory. "The family regarded themselves as nationalist, but politics was never discussed in the household."
He said one of Mr Hamill's sisters fondly remembered how Robert had danced with her at her wedding and told her he loved her.
Inquiry chairman Sir Edwin Jowitt interrupted Mr McGrory to question whether such information was pertinent to the inquiry.
Mr McGrory went on to detail how the Hamill family lived in an area of high sectarian tension and charted the history of the Portadown and greater Armagh region.
He said it was the family's belief that Mr Hamill was targeted by bigots who attacked him because he was a Catholic, while his religion also influenced the handling of the case, resulting in a second-class investigation.
The inquiry heard on Tuesday that officers appeared to know some of those involved in the attack and a possible suspect had been freed by police on the night, despite protests from nationalist bystanders.
But junior counsel for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Martin Woolfe denied that religion influenced investigators and insisted the police force and its predecessor, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, operated in a difficult environment but were committed to protecting both communities.
Mr Woolfe said police would accept any findings against officers and added: "The PSNI will continue to work in a spirit of openness and transparency."
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