NI: Loyalist killer with licence revoked can apply again for early release
A loyalist killer who had his licence revoked six years after his release can apply again for early release, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
The Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, handed down judgments on Friday in two cases concerning prisoner Michael Stone.
In the first judgment, the court ruled that the six years which Mr Stone spent lawfully on licence could count towards his 30-year sentence, noting that Parliament had not chosen to exclude this in the Life Sentences (Northern Ireland) Order 2001.
In the second judgment, the court ruled that there was nothing in the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 or the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 (Sentence Review Commissioners) Rules 1998 to prevent a further application for early release.
The full judgments have not yet been published on the Judiciary NI website, but a summary is available.