Republican fugitives freed on licence

Maze escapees are among those being freed on licence

Republican paramilitaries who have been on the run after escaping from prison have been freed on licence under the Good Friday Agreement.

They include five men who escaped from the Maze Prison, near Belfast, in 1983, in the biggest jailbreak in British history.

The move comes six months after the government announced it would not be seeking the extradition of convicted paramilitaries eligible for early release under the 1998 accord.

The Northern Ireland Office said the move was in line with the announcement made by former secretary of state Peter Mandelson last September.

Temporary release

However, the spokesperson denied it was an amnesty.

According to BBC sources, a number of men who had been on the run met a prison service official within the past two weeks.

They were granted temporary release while their cases were dealt with by the Sentence Review Commission, set up under the Agreement.

Seven cases have now been processed including that of IRA double murderer Liam Averill, who escaped from the Maze prison dressed as a woman in December 1997.

It is understood that the men who have been freed on licence would have had little or no time left to serve of their sentences.

BBC NI chief security correspondent Brian Rowan said: "On the run prisoners (OTRS) have been a big issue for republicans in the negotiations, both at Hillsborough recently and going back to the negotiations last May.

"They will undoubtedly see this as a step in the right direction."

When the move was announced last year, it was revealed that it applied to 21 cases dating back 20 years.

Mr Mandelson said at the time that it was "clearly anomalous" to pursue such a course for people who would have little, if any, of their original sentence left.

Kevin Artt: Convicted of murder

It is thought the decision will also affect convicted IRA murderers Kevin Barry Artt and Jim Smith, who were among the Maze escapees.

They were arrested in California between 1992 and 1994 but, in 1998, were granted bail pending the men's hearing on their applications to stay in the US.

Mr Mandelson said if any individuals wished to benefit from the early release scheme, they would be able to return to Northern Ireland and make an application to the Sentence Review Commissioners.

However, the ruling does not apply to those who have not been convicted of any offence - like the Harrods bomb suspect Evelyn Glenholmes who avoided extradition from the republic in a high-profile case.