A SELF confessed killer taunted his victim's family in court yesterday. "I shot your son - four in the back of the head", David Burrows screamed from the dock of Belfast Crown Court.
The UFF man's outburst followed uproar in the packed public gallery as his co accused, William Andrew Graham, was also convicted of murdering a Catholic, Mr Sean Monaghan (20) in August 1994.
The victim, who lived with his Protestant girlfriend and their twin baby daughters, was found shot, bound and gagged on waste ground in Ottawa Street in the loyalist Shankill area of Belfast on August 14th, 1994.
He had initially managed to escape his killers, who had tricked him into thinking they were from the IRA. But he was tricked again by Graham, who handed him back to Burrows and others to be shot.
As Lord Justice Nicholson convicted Graham of his "cowardly" role in the murder, the public gallery erupted. Shouts of "Up the UFF - we're the Ulster Freedom Fighters we are" rang out.
The judge ordered the gallery cleared. Others cursed him.
Then Burrows, who was being restrained by prison officers, shouted at Lord Justice Niebolson and at the victim's family.
During a month long trial Burrows (31), from Bray Court, Belfast, admitted murdering Mr Monaghan after kidnapping him with others. Both he and Graham were jailed for life.
William Harris (36) from Fifth Street, Belfast, who also confessed to kidnapping, was jailed for 16 years but cleared of murder. He had been left to guard Mr Monaghan, but claimed he had let him escape after taking pity on him.
The judge said the verdict did not mean he was innocent, but that he had not been proved guilty. "I note that he rejoined the killers the next morning, that he was, doubtless, told of the sickening details of the killing. If so, this illustrates how short lived was his sense of pity."
Mr Monaghan's escape was short lived. He was picked up by Graham who promised him a taxi ride to freedom. Graham took him to his Bray Court home where he was handed over to Burrows and his killers.
John Mawhinney (29), the owner of the Disraeli Street flat where Mr Monaghan was first taken, was jailed for 3 1/2 years for attempting to pervert justice by cleaning up after Mr Monaghan's escape. Mawhinney had told police what had happened. But because he was drunk and high on drugs they could get no real sense from him, and failed to act.
Lord Justice Nicholson said the police could not be faulted for this, and went on to commend them for bringing some of Mr Monaghan's killers to justice.