Billy Wright (loyalist)

Billy Wright
Wright in 1996
Born	William Stephen Wright (1960-07-07)7 July 1960 Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England
Died	27 December 1997(1997-12-27) (aged 37) Maze Prison, County Down, Northern Ireland
Cause of death	Laceration of the aorta caused by a gunshot wound
Resting place	Seagoe Cemetery, Portadown, Northern Ireland[1]
Other names	"King Rat"
Known for	Ulster loyalist leader

William Stephen Wright (7 July 1960 – 27 December 1997), known as King Rat, was a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary leader who founded the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) during The Troubles.^[2] Wright had joined the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) in his home town of Portadown around 1975. After spending several years in prison, he became a Protestant fundamentalist preacher. Wright resumed his UVF activities around 1986 and, in the early 1990s, replaced Robin Jackson as commander of that organisation's Mid-Ulster Brigade. According to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), Wright was involved in the sectarian killings of up to 20 Catholics but was never convicted for any.^[3]

In 1994, the UVF and other paramilitary groups called a ceasefire. Wright became a staunch opponent of the Northern Ireland peace process, seeing it as a sell-out to Irish nationalists and republicans. Wright drew media attention during the Drumcree standoffs of 1995 and 1996, when he supported the Protestant Orange Order's demand to march their traditional route through the Catholic district of Portadown.^[4][3][5]

During the July 1996 Drumcree crisis, Wright's unit carried out several attacks, including a sectarian murder. For breaking the ceasefire, Wright's Portadown unit was stood down by the UVF leadership. He was expelled from the UVF and threatened with assassination unless he immediately left Northern Ireland. Wright ignored these threats and formed the LVF with most of his brigade, becoming its leader. The LVF carried out a string of killings of Catholic civilians, while allegedly profiting from extortion and narcotics trafficking.^[4][3][5]

In January 1997, Wright was arrested for making death threats against a woman, and that March was convicted and sent to the Maze Prison. While imprisoned, Wright continued to direct the LVF. On 27 December 1997, Wright was assassinated by Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoners with a gun smuggled into the prison. An inquiry into Wright's death concluded that serious failings had been shown in the prison authorities. It has been alleged that Wright was a police informant who received help from the Special Branch.^[6]