The family of murder victim Frank ‘Bap’ McGreevy are to take legal action following his killer's escape from custody last week.
A major search was launched for Thomas Valliday after he disappeared while being treated in hospital.
It is understood he gave himself up three days later after he was urged to turn himself in.
He is now back behind bars for murdering Mr McGreevy, a father-of-two, at his west Belfast home in March 2008.
From Lady Street in west Belfast, Valliday is serving a minimum of 17 years after being jailed in March 2010.
He was high on a cocktail of drink and drugs when he beat the 51-year-old with several weapons including a pick-axe handle.
It is understood that in the hours after Valliday’s escape from the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald police contacted the victim's son Francis by phone.
It was a young Francis who found his father lying in a pool of blood in his Ross Street flat after the attack.
A former IRA prisoner, Mr McGreevy died three days later in hospital.
The family’s solicitor Kevin Winters confirmed last night that legal action will be taken and complaints have been lodged with authorities.
He said Valliday’s escape has caused great distress to relatives and they want authorities to investigate what happened.
They are demanding to know if a risk assessment was carried out before he was transported from jail and are concerned about the time it took police to tell the family he had escaped.
“We have lodged complaints. It has been deeply traumatic and distressing from the family of the deceased to learn of the failings within the administration."
