By Brendan Anderson

A loyalist paramilitary convicted of killing Belfast human rights lawyer Pat Finucane has learned he will not qualify for freedom under the Good Friday Agreement’s early release clause.

Ken Barrett, a member of the Ulster Defense Association, was sentenced in September to 22 years imprisonment for his part in the murder of the Catholic lawyer in 1989.

The case has long haunted the British government because of the large of body of evidence pointing to security forces and intelligence agencies’ collusion in the killing. Finucane’s murder was one of the most controversial of The Troubles and accusations of compliance in the killing went right to 10 Downing Street.

During his trial Barrett pleaded guilty to the murder in the belief that he could invoke the early release clause and be free by March next year. He was moved to England’s Belmarsh prison because it was believed his life was in danger from former colleagues who now regarded him as an informer.

However, Barrett has now been told that he does not qualify for early release because it only applies to prisoners serving their sentence in jails in the North. 

His Belfast lawyer, Joe Rice, said Barrett is appealing the decision by the Sentence Review Commission claiming an error has been made.

“They misdirected themselves in law and effectively didn’t give him an opportunity to have his application fully and properly considered. Ken Barrett continues to be a sentenced prisoner under the regime applicable to Northern Ireland,” said Rice.

“He’s still very much part and parcel of the Northern Ireland criminal process. We now have instructions from him by telephone that he wishes to appeal this decision.”

It is now expected that a three-member panel of commissioners will be asked to review the decision.