The Ulster Unionist Party has condemned last night’s murder of a man in the Grosvenor Road area of Belfast and said that it highlights the importance of keeping the pressure on paramilitarism and criminality which the party had insisted on during the talks process which led up to the Fresh Start Agreement between the DUP and Sinn Fein.

The Party’s representative on the Policing Board, Ross Hussey MLA, said:

"Once again Northern Ireland has woken up to the news that a man has been shot dead, this time in Lady Street in the Divis area of West Belfast at around 10pm last night.

“It is especially concerning that this was the third shooting in north and west Belfast in the one day.

“Whatever the motivation behind these incidents, it is clear that our society is still blighted by groups who wish to impose their will on communities through both the threat of and use of violence. This is why we fought so hard to get these issues onto the Talks agenda last autumn and our stated aim is to rid the country and this island once and for all, of all paramilitary and associated criminal activity.

“At this stage it is unclear whether last night’s murderers were motivated by criminality or some misguided political ideology. We have just had an election in which anyone with a political cause or agenda had the opportunity to present it to the electorate to let them decide if the cause has merit.

“There is simply no justification whatsoever for anyone using violence against any other citizen in this society. It is essential that the entire community help the Police to close these groups down and ensure they no longer terrorise society.”