Inquest adjourned for police investigation

Coroner John Leckey adjourned proceedings into the 1997 death of the 22-year-old after being told that interviews with a loyalist assisting police with information were coming to an end.

Relatives of the victim have said they do not want an inquest to proceed until the police investigation has been exhausted.

A lawyer for the police said: “This is a very involved and lengthy process. There were various debriefs of the assisting offender.”

But the coroner was told the police interviews were “coming towards a conclusion”.

Mr Leckey told the preliminary hearing in Belfast that he would adjourn the proceedings until January when an update on progress could be given.

It is understood the assisting offender is providing state’s evidence on a range of crimes committed by the notorious UVF gang from north Belfast’s Mount Vernon estate that beat Mr McCord to death and dumped his body in the Ballyduff quarry.