Adams meets father of UVF victim

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams held talks on Monday, 27 February with Raymond McCord senior, whose son Raymond junior was killed by the UVF on the orders of a Special Branch agent.

Adams pledged to raise the case with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

McCord's son 22-year-old Raymond Jnr was beaten to death and dumped in a North Belfast quarry in 1997.

His father maintains that a UVF man involved in the killing is being protected because he is a PSNI Special Branch agent.

Adams told An Phoblacht, "I think the McCord family have the right to the truth and that is essentially what Raymond McCord is looking for - the truth about the murder of his son. I think there is huge evidence to suggest that British agents were involved in that killing."

McCord said he was concerned at how the unionist community would react to his meeting with the Sinn Féin leader but that he had done so in the open and had nothing to hide. He went onto say nearly 30 people have been killed by the Mount Vernon UVF, but not one person has been convicted, and not one person charged.

"What does this tell the rest of the people in this country? There was cover up after cover up in my son's murder and a lot of murders carried out by the UVF."