Paisley Jnr defiant over deadline
Ian Paisley Junior will refuse to comply with a court order to reveal the identity of a source.
A deadline set by the High Court on the North Antrim MLA lapses on Monday.
Earlier this month, a ruling was made by Mr Justice Gillen that Mr Paisley had until April 20 to divulge of his source in relation to the death of former LVF leader, Billy Wright.
Mr Paisley had been told by an unidentified prison officer, who approached him, that documents had been destroyed following the murder of the loyalist within the confines of the Maze Prison in 1997.
The MLA even hinted he would be prepared to go to jail over the matter.
Speaking on Monday, Mr Paisley remianed defiant and argued he had a duty to protect his source.
“I’m not going to appeal today – I don’t believe it’s in my personal or financial interests to keep it running,” he told the BBC.
“If I appeal and win, this case goes to the House of Lords.
“If I don’t appeal and just let the case continue to run back to the High Court, nothing changes for me – I’m not revealing the name.”
Speaking in support of his party colleague earlier this month, First Minister Peter Robinson said: “There is a vitally important issue at stake here. Constituents should feel safe that any information they pass to their local MLA or representative on a confidential basis will be treated as such.
“Neither the public interest nor the Billy Wright Inquiry is best served by forcing elected representatives to name sources.”
