THE RESULTS OF A PUBLIC enquiry into the death of former loyalist paramilitary leader Billy Wright ars due to be published today.
Wright, 37, was shot dead inside the Maze Prison on 27 December, 1997, by INLA prisoners who had smuggled weapons into the facility. The BBC has produced this timeline of Wright’s life.
In July, First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness announced that the Maze would be redeveloped and protected as a tourist attraction.
Lax security
The report is expected to be highly critical of prison security at the time of Wright’s death.
INLA members John Kennaway, Christopher “Crip” McWilliams and John Glennon smuggled weapons into the prison in nappies, according to the Guardian.
Prior to his death in 2007, Kennaway told the Guardian that security at the Maze was a “joke”, and the three INLA men had been moved into the prison along with Wright despite attempting to kill him in a previous jail. He claimed prison authorities knew about the previous murder attempt.
Kennaway described the low level of security at the prison:
Before we killed Wright security had all but collapsed in the Maze. We were getting drink into the jail every week.
A loyalist even managed to smuggle a puppy into H-Block 6 before he was caught with it on the wings. It was a joke. We took a risk smuggling the guns in, but it was not impossible.
Kennaway’s interview will be published in full in a new book on the INLA due out later this year.
The public inquiry into Wright’s murder was announced in 2005. Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson said the report would only be released once a thorough check ensured it would not endanger anyone who gave evidence for it.
The Irish News reports that the Wright family has not commented on what they hope the report will contain.
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