The father of murdered loyalist paramilitary leader Billy Wright has visited the prison block where his son was killed in December 1997.

David Wright was given permission by the secretary of state to visit H-Block 6 in the Maze prison to inspect the location where his son was killed by republican inmates who have since been convicted for the murder.

His killers were members of the Irish National Liberation Army.

Mr Wright has mounted a campaign to uncover what he believes was a conspiracy behind the killing. He has always maintained the murder was "state arranged, state sponsored and state sanctioned".

Killing 'could have been prevented'

An inquest into Billy Wright's killing in 1999, concluded it had been carried out by three INLA men in an elaborate pre-meditated and pre-planned attack.

The campaign has included meetings with the Irish government who he said backed his calls for an inquiry into his son's killing.

He visited the prison at lunchtime on Tuesday where he was accompanied by Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson.

Previously Mr Wright has said he received information from within the prison service, which revealed that authorities in the prison had overlooked something, which if it had been addressed, could have prevented his son's killing.

Billy Wright was serving a sentence of eight years when the attack was mounted as he sat in the back of a prison van.

His killers managed to smuggle two handguns into the prison and were able to climb out of their prison block and over a roof before jumping into the yard where the van was parked.