The coroner has limited the scope of the inquest into the murder of the LVF leader, Billy Wright, after an application by a lawyer for the Northern Ireland Prison Service.
Mr Nicholas Hanna had argued that the range of the inquest was widening too much and that it was investigating areas outside its remit. He also objected to questions raised by Wright's father, Mr David Wright, who was representing the family.
Mr Wright had questioned the origin of an order to a prison officer to leave an observation tower overlooking H-Block 6 the morning his son was shot dead by three INLA members. The coroner's ruling did not prevent other prison officers revealing other security defects at the Maze Prison.
Mr George James Patient, a prison officer who was in the prison emergency control room on December 27th, 1997, said an overhead security camera providing visual coverage of the roof of H-Block 6 was defective and inoperative the morning Wright was shot. He said the camera had been defective for at least four or five days. It had been reported defective by the senior officer on duty in the control room on December 22nd. Mr Patient told the court that if the camera had been operational it was possible he could have seen the assailants making their way over the roof and raised the alarm.
A governor in charge of security in H6 told the court that the area of exercise yard fencing where INLA prisoners had cut a hole to get to the prison roof was never checked by prison officers. Mr Stephen Davies said that was because of the threat to the safety of prison staff.
Replying to questions from Mr Wright, he agreed that prisoners in H-Block 6 had unlimited freedom of movement in their respective wings and exercise yards from 8.15 in the evening until early the following morning.
Mr Davies confirmed that he was unable to say with certainty when the hole had been cut in the exercise yard fencing. It was possible it could have been cut and remain undetected for some days before the murder was carried out.
The inquest was adjourned and will resume at Downpatrick courthouse at 10.30 a.m. tomorrow.