Father of slain loyalist leader wins legal case

THE father of loyalist leader Billy Wright has been given the go-ahead to proceed with a legal challenge to the terms of an inquiry into his son’s murder.

Wright, 37, was shot and killed by three INLA prisoners in the Maze Prison on December 27, 1997.

David Wright was granted a judicial review of the British Government’s decision to carry out the inquiry under the terms of the Inquiries Act.

This legislation allows the government to keep evidence secret.

Mr Wright said he was “fairly happy” with the High Court’s ruling.

His barrister had earlier told the court that they opposed the use of the act because it gave the government wide powers to interfere with the scope of an investigation.

The full hearing has been given a provisional start date of April 26 and is expected to last two to three days. The first preliminary hearing of the inquiry was held in June 2005, with public hearings expected to start next spring.

After the hearing, concerns were raised about the Inquiries Act and David Wright said he was considering whether to co-operate with the inquiry.

Mr Wright has campaigned for an inquiry into his son’s death after allegations of collusion by the authorities in the murder.

Wright had just got into a prison van to be taken to the visitors’ area of the jail, when the prisoners from the INLA - a republican paramilitary organisation - climbed over the roof of the H-block and into the prison yard.

One opened the van door, singled out the LVF leader and shot him several times. Former Northern Secretary Paul Murphy announced the public inquiry in November 2004.