Six-time UDA murderer Michael Stone freed from jail

The decision was taken by parole commissioners on Monday, and Stone was freed from Maghaberry Prison on Tuesday, the PA news agency understands.

Stone, a former member of the UDA now aged in his mid-60s, killed three people in a gun and grenade attack at Milltown Cemetery in west Belfast during an IRA funeral.

He was also found guilty of three other killings; murdering a milkman, shooting a joiner in the head and firing at another man up to 16 times with a submachine gun.

He was freed under the Belfast Agreement in 2000 but was returned to prison six years later for trying to storm through the doors of Stormont armed with a collection of weaponry, with the aim of trying to kill republican MLAs – something he then tried to claim was a piece of “performance art”.

One of his victims of the Milltown attack was 20-year-old Thomas McErlean.

His sister, Deborah McGuinness, had unsuccessfully taken legal action in a bid to prevent his early release.

QC Ronan Lavery had made the case in court that Stone was not entitled to repeated chances, having already returned to violence.

“The prisoner squandered his benefit and under the terms of this exceptional scheme isn’t entitled to re-apply on multiple occasions,” he said.

In November last year, Northern Ireland’s highest court ruled that Stone was eligible to apply.

According to the BBC, the court had ruled that the six years which Stone spent out of prison on licence could count towards the 30 year sentence he received. In short, this meant his minimum release date was not 2024, but 2018.

At the time of his early release under the 1998 agreement (along with hundreds of other paramilitaries) the then-UUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson was quoted saying: “People are deeply depressed and frustrated that the paramilitaries have reaped the benefits of the agreement without a single bullet or a single ounce of explosives being decommissioned.

“They’re also concerned that the paramilitary groups are continuing to exert influence and engage in violent activities.”

Click here: Loyalist killer Michael Stone wins legal battle and can now apply for parole

Click here: RUC officers speak of Milltown murders chaos for first time

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