Wright murder inquiry under way

Billy Wright was murdered in the Maze Prison in December 1997

The public inquiry into the murder of LVF leader Billy Wright in the Maze Prison has begun in Belfast.

The first stage of the inquiry, which will last one week, is concerned solely with the recovery of certain documents.

The Wright family's legal team has been seeking a number of specific documents from the Maze prison from the time of the murder in December 1997.

It has been reported in the media that some documents have gone missing from the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

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

Derek Bachelor QC, who is senior counsel for the inquiry, said the aims of the week were to ascertain what documents were no longer available from the prison service and also to establish if the destruction of any documents was recorded.

The inquiry will hear evidence from 17 witnesses during the course of the week, some of whom will only be identifed by a letter of the alphabet.

It will then adjourn and resume again in the spring of next year sitting at Banbridge courthouse.

Former Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy announced the public inquiry into Wright's killing in November 2004 following allegations of security force collusion in his murder.

The government agreed to set it up following the recommendations of retired Canadian Judge Peter Cory.

Lord MacLean is joined on the inquiry by academic professor Andrew Coyle from the University of London and the former Bishop of Hereford, the Reverend John Oliver.