A prominent member of the Northern Ireland Assembly has cast doubt on whether Protestant paramilitaries will continue to observe a ceasefire.

In a BBC interview, Assembly member Billy Hutchinson said a recent murder called into question the ceasefire by the Ulster Volunteer Force, with which his Progressive Unionist Party is linked.

He said the UVF leadership couldn't let the killing go unchallenged.

The murdered man, Richard Jameson, is said by the security forces to have been a UVF leader, though his family deny this.

The UVF has blamed the rival Loyalist Volunteer Force for Monday's shooting -- although the LVF denies responsibility.

Yesterday, Mr Jameson's brothers painted out LVF slogans daubed on walls on housing estates in the town of Portadown.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service