VICTIMS' campaigner Raymond McCord has called on the Secretary of State to grant a full independent public inquiry into the murder of his son.
Raymond's 22-year-old son, Raymond Jnr, was murdered by the UVF in 1997. An inquest has never been held into his death.
Mr McCord met Hilary Benn along with Cathy McIlvenny, whose sister Lorraine McCausland was murdered in a loyalist club in March 1987, and Hugh McCormick, who was shot by the IRA.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr McCord said: "The meeting went on for around 90 minutes. To be fair to Hilary Benn, he made us feel very welcome but he didn’t get it easy from us.
"He wasn’t as knowledgeable about Raymond’s case as I thought he should be as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He wasn’t aware that an Ombudsman report came out in 2007 about his murder when collusion was proven.
"I requested nothing less than a full independent public inquiry for young Raymond.
"I have support from both sides of the community here. I also support the recent announcement of a public inquiry into Pat Finucane and Sean Brown.
"It isn’t a competition against other families. We all deserve the truth. Hilary Benn is now quite aware that we reject The Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) and the Legacy Bill.
"Cross community support is my strength. I await the next move of Hilary Benn."
