Northern Ireland

Alleged UDA link to death of teen raises more Charter NI concerns

Family and friends at the funeral of teenager Nathan Ritchie, right, who died in a fall at the Westlink in Belfast
Family and friends at the funeral of teenager Nathan Ritchie, right, who died in a fall at the Westlink in Belfast Family and friends at the funeral of teenager Nathan Ritchie, right, who died in a fall at the Westlink in Belfast
By Staff Reporter

AN alleged UDA link to the death of a teenager raises further concerns over £1.7 million allocated to Charter NI, an MLA has said.

Vulnerable 19-year-old Nathan Ritchie, originally from Bangor, died earlier this month in a fall at Belfast's Westlink.

It has been claimed that the former Bangor Academy pupil was forced onto the streets by the UDA over a £600 drugs debt.

The UDA ordered him out of his east Belfast flat having previously forced him out of Bangor, the Sunday Life reported.

The claims emerge amid controversy over UDA-linked community group Charter NI being used to manage £1.7m of social investment funding for an employment project.

Alleged UDA commander David 'Dee' Stitt, a convicted gunman, is chief executive of Charter NI.

He was pictured last month with First Minister Arlene Foster as the funding was announced.

SDLP South Belfast MLA Claire Hanna, who has previously criticised the funding allocation, expressed concern over the latest claims.

She questioned how those targeted by the UDA like Mr Ritchie could ever "trust an organisation linked to his tormentors".

"Obviously these are allegations and I don't know the details of the particular case, but there's certainly concerns that the UDA is a live and present threat in east Belfast in particular," she said.

"If this story is true it highlights that the UDA are not 'former' but current paramilitaries.

"Like most members of the public I still have to be convinced that the UDA have put their criminality behind them.

"If cases like this are true they are not former paramilitaries."

The Belfast East Employability Project is to assist at least 300 unemployed, low-paid or low-skilled people find work.

In a lengthy statement last week Stitt, while not denying being in the UDA, insisted he has used his position to "counsel members of my community to positively influence them in order to avoid involvement in the paramilitary life".

The Executive Office has said it has "robust processes" in place and dismissed SDLP concerns over the Charter NI funding as "out of touch".