THE inquest into the death of former RUC officer John Torney, who was convicted of murdering his wife and two children, opened in Belfast yesterday morning.

Torney murdered his family at their home in Cookstown in 1994 and two years later was jailed for life. His wife Linda (33), son John (13) and daughter Emma (10) were slain at the family home in Lomond Heights in the early hours of September 20.

Throughout his trial Torney strenuously denied carrying out the murders. Since his conviction supporters have also protested his innocence claiming his son John Junior had gone on the rampage with his father's Ruger revolver, shooting his sister and mother in the head before turning the weapon on himself. The prosecution rejected this version of events which they stated had too many gaps and inconsistencies.

A subsequent appeal upheld the original conviction. Torney was found dead in his cell two years ago, July 25 2005, at Lagan House part of Maghaberry Prison. At the time the Prison Service said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.