Raymond McCord snr - who will meet with Policing Board chairman Professor Desmond Rea to discuss his son's case this week - has called on the UVF's chief-of-staff to admit the loyalist grouping was "wrong" to dismiss his allegations for almost a decade.

Mr McCord issued the defiant plea after the UVF's leadership on the Shankill remained silent on the explosive findings contained within Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan's report.

His challenge comes after it emerged the UVF's brigadier in south-east Antrim, who is also an informer, has gone into hiding following last week's report.

The north Belfast man, who is set to meet with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern over the findings of the bombshell document, urged UVF godfathers to hand over the killers of his son to the police.

Said the dad-of-three: "I want to confront the UVF's chief-of-staff, who is also an informer, face-to-face and ask him to admit I was telling the truth all along.

"I don't see why, if the UVF claims to represent the Protestant people, they can't hand over a gang of informers who were killing their own people.

"I have met the UVF before and they told me there would be an inquiry but nothing was ever done about because they were all informers and being controlled by Special Branch.

"I was disgusted that my son was a member of the UVF for a very short time, but there was no way I was going to turn my back on him because he was still my son. I would also like to know why the UVF leadership appears to be walking away from the findings of Mrs O'Loan's report? Now is the time for them to speak about a killer gang of informers who were working for the police when they were killing their own people."

The campaigning dad also told how he expected to see arrests over his son's killing in the weeks and months ahead.

Added Mr McCord: "Every senior police officer I spoke to after my son's killing told me lies and now is the time for the police to deliver.

"I believe the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) has made progress in relation to my son's case and I would hope to see arrests and other developments over the coming weeks.

"If the police had told the truth from the start then there could have been arrests and these people could have been behind bars.

"People should also know that I am not attacking the RUC in my criticism of the police. I know the vast majority of officers did a great job and there was just a small group of officers who colluded with loyalist killers.

"I hate the fact my son's murder is being used as a political football and the only thing my family will continue to seek is justice.

"Jeffrey Donaldson has called for the killers to be arrested and he also told me he wants the corrupt police officers arrested, so there should be no political rows over my son's murder."