Are the sectarian thugs who style themselves as 'brigadiers' in the UDA completely above the law? The question is more pertinent than ever after the astonishing decision by the courts yesterday (Thursday) to uphold Andre Shoukri's appeal against a six-year sentence on a firearms charge.
The UDA, we should remind ourselves, is an illegal organisation involved in extortion, intimidation and, regularly, murder.
Even if its members are now more regularly turning their guns on each other than on vulnerable Catholics, there can be no room for doubt about the sort of organisation we are dealing with.
In common with all other paramilitary groups, whether loyalist or republican, the UDA is evil and ruthless in character.
Uniquely, the leaders of the UDA make no attempt to conceal their identity, and in many cases seem to enjoy the spotlight of publicity.
They strut around the areas they control and flaunt a lifestyle far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
The possibility that they might face prosecution just for membership of the UDA does not seem to unduly concern them.
In fairness, a number of leading UDA figures have been jailed for offences other than membership of the organisation.
However, if someone like Shoukri can be caught in a car with a gun and successfully forward the legal argument that he was only trying to protect his own life, the courts are leaving themselves open to public ridicule.
It is conceivable that, as the result of the feud within the UDA, Shoukri, as he claimed, had been threatened by other factions.
Why in those circumstances he chose to leave his own neighbourhood, carrying a concealed weapon, and drive into the home district of his most bitter internal rival must presumably remain a mystery.
Ludicrously, as matters stand, Shoukri is still in custody only because he remains convicted of possessing a weapon without a certificate.
There is widespread expectation that – either because his sentence for this offence will be reduced, or due to the time he has already served in prison – he will soon be a free man.
The appeal court judges intend to explain their decisions in further detail shortly, a development which will be eagerly anticipated.
If it should transpire that existing legislation is in some way deficient, this is an issue which will need to be addressed by the authorities with the utmost urgency.
