Willie Frazer

The Markethill group which he led said that in 1998 many victims were left feeling “excluded by a peace process which was designed to include those who had murdered their loved ones”.

It added: “It was in these circumstances that victims began to meet, to discuss their experiences and to give voice to their concerns. Leaders like Willie Frazer rose to prominence and groups like FAIR (Families Acting for Innocent Relatives) began to coalesce in opposition to the political process which was designed to ignore and exclude them.

“He, along with a group of leaders, worked together to put victims’ issues onto the agenda, by taking their plight onto the streets and directly to the people. He soon came to embody equally the sense of betrayal and the resolve of victims. He gave voice to their fears and their outrage. His was a simple, honest message which resonated far beyond the victims' sector.”

Mr Frazer’s father and four close relatives were murdered by the IRA.

In 2019 BBC Spotlight claimed that Mr Frazer told its journalists in his final days that he had a key role in transporting a weapons shipment for the UDA in the 1990s.

His family rejected the claims “as false and without evidence” and queried the value of anonymous sources who were said to have verified them.