A British journalist yesterday admitted he had "dishonestly" used the name of an MP, Mr Jeremy Corbyn, to gain access to a Craigavon man, Clifford McKeown, in prison.
Mr Nick Martin-Clark, who claims that McKeown (43) admitted being the hit man who murdered a taxi-driver, Mr Michael McGoldrick, told Belfast Crown Court it was a mistake which he wished he had never made.
Mr Martin-Clark made the admission while being cross-examined by Mr James Allister QC, for McKeown.
The journalist also agreed he had broken a promise to McKeown to keep his alleged prison confession secret.
However, he claimed that McKeown in turn had broken a promise to him to reveal alleged collusions between the LVF and the security forces.
Mr Martin-Clark said that once McKeown had broken his word he felt free to reveal what McKeown had allegedly told him about the murder of Mr McGoldrick at the height of the Drumcree protests in July 1996.
Mr Martin-Clark said he had used the MP's logo after downloading it from the Internet so he could use it on a letter head, along with the phone and fax numbers of Mr Corbyn's office at the House of Commons.
He admitted that he had used the logo with Mr Corbyn's office and fax numbers because he felt it would give him "more credibility".
During his cross-examination, Mr Martin-Clark agreed with Mr Allister that it had been a former police sergeant-turned-killer, John Weir, who had suggested to him that he should talk to McKeown, alleging that McKeown was in ill-health and might be more disposed to giving information.
The journalist also agreed that after the meeting with Weir, just three days before the original letter of introduction was sent to McKeown in jail, he and his colleague, Ms Lynne Soloman, agreed to split any money they made "50-50".
However, Mr Martin-Clark revealed that he did not share any of the £7,500 he received from the Sunday Times because "she had opted out of the project of Clifford McKeown because she didn't want to visit him any more".
He told Mr Allister that, before he revealed McKeown as the alleged killer, breaking accepted journalistic codes of practice concerning confidential sources, he "gave a great deal of thought" to his predicament.
Mr Martin-Clark faces a second day of cross-examination today.