The families of two of loyalist killer Michael Stone's victims have condemned his release from Maghaberry Prison on parole. The family of Dermot Hackett said they still live with the heartache of his death, while the family of Thomas McErlean, who pursued legal action to try and keep Stone imprisoned, said they have been "denied the chance to heal". It emerged yesterday evening that the notorious former UDA serial killer had been released after Northern Ireland's highest court ruled that he could apply for parole last November. The court said keeping Stone behind bars until at least 2024 would "constitute an interference with the physical liberty of the prisoner and could only arise under clear authority of the law", and in its view this could not be implied.