Main suspect in Daniel Carson shooting 'not held in two other murder probes'

The main suspect in a loyalist shooting was not arrested as part of two other murder investigations, a lawyer said.

Daniel Carson, 29, from Dunmurry, was gunned down by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) as he left work at a hardware merchants in the Shankill area of Belfast in November 1973.

Ballistics experts have been working to establish whether the weapon used to kill the Catholic salesman can be linked to two other killings.

Sean Doran QC told an inquest: "None of those people arrested were the main suspect in the Daniel Carson murder."

The two murders probed for links were those of Alfred Fusco and James Murphy in 1973.

Mr Doran said three other non-fatal incidents had been considered but investigative material could not be located and details of those arrested could not be confirmed.

Meanwhile, no records have been found identifying members of an RUC Special Patrol Group (SPG) based at Tennant Street in Belfast which the family believed had been on the ground on the day of Mr Carson's killing, Mr Doran told the Belfast preliminary hearing.

He added: "There is nothing to say that it would have been SPG officers based at Tennant Street who would have entered the scene.

"They were reactive units."

Soldiers were on the scene following the killing.

MoD barrister Peter Coll QC said there had been no attempt on the part of his clients to suppress any material.

He added: "There has been every effort made to find any documents that may be available that touches on this inquest."

A fresh inquest into the sectarian shooting was ordered by Northern Ireland's Attorney General.

It is due to begin in late February.

No-one has ever been convicted of Mr Carson's murder.

However, a man who was arrested and interviewed about the shooting is to be legally represented at the inquest.

He was detained four days after the murder and released without charge, the coroner's court heard in a previous hearing.