The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) are an Ulster Loyalist Paramilitary group based in Portadown County Armagh. it was formed in 1996 by Billy Wright who was the Commander of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Mid Ulster Brigade. Wright and most of the Mid Ulster Brigade were stood down and sentenced to
death after they shot dead Catholic Taxi driver Michael McGoldrick in violation of the UVF's ceasefire. Wright was nicknamed King
Rat a name he hated and threatened journalists over though the LVF somewhat embraced the name and often referred to themselves as the "Rat Pack" Wright himself was shot dead in the Maze Prison by members of the
Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in
December 1997. some of the LVF's daring attacks against the
IRA include the
time when they shot an 18 year old Catholic girl dead as she slept in her Protestant Boyfriends house. or the
time they kidnapped beat up and stabbed to
death a 61 year old
man (if you couldn't tell I'm being sarcastic)in all between July 1996 to when the LVF ended it's armed campaign in October 2005 the LVF killed 18
people which includes 13 civilians (11 Catholics and 2 Protestants) 3 UVF members 1 former member of the Provisional
IRA and 1 of it's own members. this isn't including those killed by Orange Volunteers (OV) and the Red Hand Defenders (RHD) which were/are cover names used by the LVF so it could kill whilst being able to say it wasn't breaking it's ceasefire this adds a further 11 killings.