[1] A native of Belfast's Shankill Road, David Lister and Hugh Jordan state that Smyth joined the UDA for the first time around 1980 but left again in 1981 after a disagreement with his superiors.
William "Bucky" McCullough, a leading figure in the West Belfast Brigade, was killed at his Shankill home by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in 1981.
As a result, Smyth and fellow C Company member Gary McMaster were chosen on 12 February 1994 to travel to Andersonstown where they fired the weapon at Connolly House, causing extensive damage to the Sinn Féin headquarters.
[9] Smyth's high-profile made him a regular target for RUC Special Branch, who hoped that the older man might be persuaded to turn against the younger guns and they paid a number of visits to his pet shop to offer him bribes in return for becoming an agent.
Along with Rab Bradshaw and Richard Calderwood, Smyth had been dispatched to kill republican Brian Gillen and the three met in a safe house provided by South Belfast UDA member Glen Esdale, who joined them on the expedition.
Smyth continued the resentment a few months later when, as McKeag received a "Volunteer of the Year" prize at the annual ceremony held at the Diamond Jubilee bar on the Shankill Road, he yelled "what about me" from the audience.
Although they had by then barricaded themselves inside the Rex Bar a number of UVF members were injured in the attack which Smyth had led from the lower Shankill with the call to arms "C Company, fall in – up that road, now!".
As tension heightened Smyth was arrested and found guilty of making a hoax warning call to the police in which he claimed a car bomb had been left outside the school.
[23] At this point Smyth had been recognised as leader of C Company but he forfeited the position when he was sent to HMP Maghaberry by then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland John Reid, with command passing to Alan McCullough.
[24] Smyth was still in prison in February 2003 when Adair's supporters were forced out of the Shankill by the mainstream UDA but, having been warned that he would be killed if he returned to west Belfast, he made his way to join the rest of his former comrades in Bolton when he was released from jail soon afterwards.
[26] Smyth left Bolton in 2004 after the gang fell apart and instead he, his girlfriend Sharon and their child moved to Scotland, where Sam McCrory already had close links to local loyalists.