Former British soldier jailed for storing loyalist arms

A former British soldier has been jailed for nine years in Belfast today after a court heard he had hidden guns and explosives for loyalist paramilitaries.

William Ian Thompson, who was a lance corporal in the Royal Irish Regiment, was arrested by RUC detectives investigating the murder of solicitor Rosemary Nelson.

The arms were found in in the garage of his Portadown home, along with documents linked to the UVF and Combat 18, the far-right British group.

Sentencing, Justice McLaughlin said Thompson had disgraced the regiment he had served for ten years.

He added that some of the documents relating to Ms Nelson "had made his blood run cold".