A Stormont department unlawfully stopped a convicted murderer continuing to work as a groundskeeper, the High Court in Belfast heard yesterday.
Lawyers for Martin Neeson have claimed he was wrongly and irrationally deemed unsuitable for a job he had carried out for 18 years after release from prison.
Described as a former political prisoner, Mr Neeson was released in 1987 after serving 11½ years for a murder committed when he was aged 16.
No further details of the killing four decades ago were disclosed in court.
Following his release, he secured groundskeeper work with a conservation charity in the Poleglass area of Belfast. But due to a technical change in the body’s contractual relationship with the civil service, he had to undergo security vetting.
Checks carried out by Access NI resulted in the Department of Finance and Personnel deciding in December 2014 that he was unsuitable to continue in the role.
The hearing continues.