Challenge to commissioners fails

The case concerns the appointment of four victims commissioners

The daughter of IRA murder victims has failed to bring Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness to court for appointing NI's four victims commissioners.

Michelle Williamson wanted the former first minister and deputy first minister to face questioning as part of her ongoing judicial review case.

She is seeking to have the commissioner appointments quashed.

Mrs Williamson's parents were killed in the 1993 bomb attack on Belfast's Shankill Road.

She is seeking a judicial review of the appointment of Patricia MacBride, whose brother was an IRA member killed by the SAS, RUC widow Bertha McDougal, former broadcaster Mike Nesbitt and Brendan McAllister, director of Mediation Northern Ireland.

Alleges

She claims there was no legal authority to bring four people into the role.

She also alleges that Mr Paisley and Mr McGuinness based their decision on religious belief or political opinion rather than merit.

Following the refusal of Mrs Williamson's subpoena application in August, her lawyers went before the Court of Appeal in a bid to have the ruling overturned.

It was claimed the appointment process was cloaked in secrecy, with no notes or records kept of assessments of candidates before it was announced to the Stormont assembly in January that four commissioners had been identified.

A three-judge panel dismissed her appeal because it was not clearly shown what material Mr Paisley and Mr McGuinness would be cross-examined on.