Wright's father hopeful of proof

David Wright suspects collusion in his son's murder

The father of a loyalist paramilitary leader has been given papers which he believes will give more information about his son's murder in prison.

Billy Wright, leader of the loyalist paramilitary splinter group the Loyalist Volunteer Force, was shot dead while serving a sentence in the Maze prison on 27 December 1997.

Wright, from Portadown in County Armagh, founded the LVF splitting away from the mainstream paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force.

He was killed by three members of the republican paramilitary Irish National Liberation Army.

Documents were refused

His father David Wright believes that the authorities colluded in the murder in the high security prison.

Billy Wright: Murdered inside the Maze prison

Last week Mr Wright applied for a judicial review of Coroner John Leckey's decision to refuse him access to the statements of two senior prison officers.

His lawyer Seamus Treacy, QC, said then it would have taken an hour for the three INLA killers to cut through a security fence with improvised wire cutters and get onto the roof of H-block Six.

Yet they were not seen before they murdered Billy Wright as he sat in a prison van.

Mr Treacy said Mr Wright wanted to see the statement made by Principal Officer Molloy, who had taken a phone call directing him to stand down staff in the watch tower overlooking H-6.

It was claimed Mr Leckey was in breach of Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights which guarantees disclosure of all documentation to enable a proper investigation to be carried out into a death.

Campaign

The court heard on Monday that the documents had subsequently been faxed to Mr Wright's solicitors.

Speaking outside the court Mr Wright said the statements of Officer Molloy and Governor Barlow related to the sequence of events on the morning of the murder.

He added: "I am overjoyed at getting copies of the statements of two senior prison officers.

"I regard this as a breakthrough in my campaign for a public inquiry into my son's murder."