Freed killer Stone takes a stroll ... wearing a bullet-proof vest
Notorious Milltown attacker wears bullet-proof vest and walks with a crutch
THIS is loyalist killer Michael Stone — pictured for the first time since being freed from jail — enjoying a seaside walk.
The security-conscious Milltown Cemetery bomber was seen putting on a bulletproof vest after arriving. He then embraced his wife Karan before the pair, arm in arm, walked the seafront with their dog.
Stone (65), who appeared to have a security tag on his left arm, was dressed in jeans, trainers, a black T-shirt and flat cap.
Before he and his wife headed off for their stroll, Stone put on a coat and — mindful of the Covid-19 pandemic — a Union flagthemed face mask.
He was also seen walking with the aid of a crutch.
They are the first pictures to emerge since Stone was controversially released on parole last month.
The killer, who was not due for release until 2024, was freed on January 26.
The move infuriated victims, who have taken a legal challenge over the decision by parole commissioners.
An onlooker said Stone appeared relaxed as he strolled along the seafront, enjoying this week’s sunnier weather.
One of Northern Ireland’s most notorious terrorists, Stone was jailed for life following a gun and grenade attack at Milltown Cemetery.
He attacked the funerals of IRA members, shooting and lobbing grenades into the crowd in March 1988.
Mourners had been attending the joint funerals of three IRA members, Daniel Mccann, Sean Savage and Mairead Farrell, who were shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar.
Stone’s attack killed three people — civilians Thomas Mcerlean (20) and John Murray (26), and 30-year-old IRA man Kevin Brady.
After his arrest, he admitted to three other murders, including killing Catholic milkman Patrick Brady (36) in south Belfast in 1984.
He also admitted the killings of joiner Kevin Mcpolin in Lisburn in 1985 and bread delivery driver Dermot Hackett near Drumquin in Co Tyrone two years later.
Stone was released in 2000 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
However, he was sent back to jail in 2006 after an attempt to murder Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams and Martin Mcguinness at Stormont.
He entered Parliament Buildings armed with explosives, knives and an axe, but bizarrely claimed the episode was an act of performance art.
He was told in 2013 that he must serve the rest of the 30-year tariff on his life sentence.
Stone, a father of nine, married his third wife Karan in a ceremony at Maghaberry Prison in 2016.
Last November the Court of Appeal overturned a decision that he must remain behind bars until 2024, with judges ruling that the six years he spent out on licence should count towards the 30-year tariff.
It infuriated relatives, with Deborah Mcguinness, the sister of Milltown victim Mr Mcerlean, saying she was afraid Stone would approach her family.
She has launched a judicial review into the lawfulness of the decision to free him, with parole commissioners ordered to disclose the reasons.
Since his release, Stone has been keeping a low profile, with these photographs marking his first public sighting in years.