Today marked the first success on the road to justice for Michelle Williamson and with her all the innocent victims of terrorism. Today is the hearing where Michelle sought to get her Judicial review heard the judge cut through precedent and emphasised the importance of the case before him.

So much was his confidence that this case was of importance and the public interest that he dispensed with the normal legal process of requiring Michelle’s lawyers to prove there was a case to answer. This will now come later, the judge instead made it abundantly clear that there was no need for the grounds to be explained and argued as he was convinced that the case was of such important public interest that it should be heard and heard sooner rather than later.

This was an embarrassing reversal for the senior legal counsel employed by the First and Deputy First Ministers who were set to contest the basis for the case. They were forced to concede and agree with the judge. Speaking afterwards Michelle said she was happy with the outcome and quietly confident that justice would be done.

Supported in court by representatives of victims groups from across the province who had turned up two days in a row to lend their voice to hers. A FAIR spokesman William Frazer stated in this case given the fact a judge has recognised how important victims are and the rights of the victims. The judge stated that we were right that there is a case to answer and more importantly it is an important case.

Few judicial reviews are granted on this basis and today for the first time an eminent establishment figure has stated how important this case is to the victims and should be important to everyone in Northern Ireland.

William Frazer went on to state that this is just the start of the fight for victims rights and not for political correctness.