AN INDEPENDENT candidate in Newry & Armagh has "removed" a former Sinn Féin MLA from his campaign team amid allegations that other parties' election flyers were sabotaged.
Gavin Malone, an independent Newry councillor running in next month's Stormont election, yesterday confirmed to The Irish News that he had asked Davy Hyland to no longer canvass on his behalf after CCTV footage emerged of the former assembly member apparently binning of rivals' campaign literature.
Mr Hyland is former Sinn Féin MLA and ex-chairman of Newry council, who served at Stormont between 2003-2007 before falling out with the party over its policy on policing.
The 67-year-old subsequently served as independent councillor up until 2019 and stood as an assembly candidate in 2007 but failed to get elected.
Mr Hyland has since thrown his weight behind Mr Malone's assembly campaign but relations soured in recent days when doorstep CCTV footage appeared to show the one-time Sinn Féin MLA dumping rivals' election flyers in a bin.
In the aftermath of the incident, Mr Malone posted a statement on social media distancing himself from the incident captured on CCTV.
"This afternoon information was brought to my attention of unacceptable behaviour by one of my team while they were canvassing on my behalf in Newry," he said.
"I wish to inform everyone that this individual has been been removed from my team with immediate effect. On behalf of myself and my team I apologise for this indiscretion."
Mr Malone said he believed it was the "right decision" to remove Mr Hyland from his campaign team and that he now wanted to put the episode behind him.
"Our campaign is going strong and we don't need that sort of behaviour, so I believe I took the right decision," he said.
The Irish News contacted Mr Hyland but he did not comment.
