THE daughter of a Catholic pensioner believed to have been killed by exiled UDA hitman Sam "Skelly" McCrory has said his death brings them no closer to justice.
The 57-year-old loyalist is believed to have died after a fall close to his home in the Scottish town of Ayr on Sunday.
Police have described his death as "unexplained", adding that "there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances at this stage".
A key member of the UDA's notorious Shankill Road-based 'C' Company, McCrory is suspected of involvement in multiple murders including that of former republican internee Francisco Notarantonio (66) at his home in west Belfast in 1987.
Last night his daughter Noreen Notarantonio, who was just 14 when her father was killed, branded McCrory a "state-sponsored killer".
The murder has previously been linked to the IRA agent Stakeknife and ex-UDA intelligence officer Brian Nelson, who also worked for the British army's Force Research Unit.
Ms Notarantonio, who came face-to-face with one of her father's masked killers, said her family believes there was collusion in the case.
"We believe that the UDA murder of my father was carried out under the full remit of the British state, and it is indeed a matter of regret, that with the death of the chief suspect, our family, like so many others, is no closer to either discovering the truth or achieving justice."
She added that her family will continue with their campaign for justice.
"In the wake of the death of state-sponsored killer Sam McCrory, the Notarantonio family wishes to state publicly that it remains committed to seeking justice in regard to the murder of our father Francisco," she said.
Ms Notarantonio was also critical of British government legacy proposals, branding them "a crass attempt to prevent ongoing or future truth and justice processes from occurring within the credible legal or investigative parameters".
Michael Brentnall, of Brentnall Legal, said his office has "initiated civil proceedings on behalf of Ms Notarantonio against both the RUC and the Ministry of Defence and citing direct state collusion in relation to the murder of her father".
McCrory was a close ally and friend of former 'C' Company boss Johnny Adair.
The pair fled west Belfast for Scotland in the aftermath of a bitter loyalist feud that resulted in the 2003 murder of South East Antrim UDA commander John Gregg.
In 1992 McCrory was part of a UDA hit squad intercepted as they made their way to kill senior republicans Brian Gillen and Martin Lynch in west Belfast and later met former secretary of state Mo Mowlam while in jail.
