Northern Ireland

Diane Forsythe: Police launch probe into 'defamatory message' circulated online

DUP South Down candidate Diane Forsythe
DUP South Down candidate Diane Forsythe DUP South Down candidate Diane Forsythe

POLICE have launched an investigation into a defamatory message being shared online about DUP south Down candidate Diane Forsythe.

The DUP said yesterday that it had reported "false material" being circulated about Ms Forsythe to police.

Ms Forsythe (38), an accountant from Kilkeel, was chosen to stand in South Down earlier this year ahead of former Lagan Valley MLA Edwin Poots.

The party's director of elections, Gordon Lyons, said Ms Forsythe had been the victim of "a libellous and malicious campaign to damage her good name and an attempt to bully a young female candidate as she attempts to put herself forward for public service".

Ms Forsythe told the Belfast Telegraph she was now "doubly determined" to win an assembly seat.

"I am standing strong, not just for myself, but for other women," she said.

"I refuse to be bullied out of this election by those who have nothing to offer and whose only strategy is to try to tear others down."

PSNI Superintendent Norman Haslett said: "Police have received a report of a defamatory message being circulated and an investigation has now been launched.

"We, within the Police Service of Northern Ireland, are committed to doing everything we can to ensure all candidates can participate fully in the forthcoming Northern Ireland Assembly election free from harassment, intimidation and other forms of criminality.

"We are investigating thoroughly all incidents which have been reported to us and any identified suspects will be liable to prosecution."

A total of seven DUP members in South Down resigned last night in protest at Ms Forsythe's candidacy.

The former members, including long-serving activist George McConnell, have now endorsed TUV candidate Harry McKee.

Their resignations come after the entire officer team of the South Down Association resigned last week.

Former DUP South Down MLA Jim Wells resigned from the party last month. He has also endorsed Mr McKee.

Mr McConnell said he had become concerned about the direction the DUP had taken over the last few years.

"My support for the DUP ended totally when Diane Forsythe was foisted upon south Down with no consultation whatsoever with local members," he said.

"I admire Harold McKee’s public stand on the moral issues, including on abortion and same-sex marriage, which are so important to me and my family.

"His experience at both Stormont and local council level makes him the ideal choice for those concerned about the situation we now face."

However, the DUP said Ms Forsythe, who stood in the 2017 Westminster election, was "best placed" to win a seat in the constituency.

"This is reflected by the influx of new members into the South Down Association since her selection as well as the re-engagement by many long-standing members in support of her," a spokesman said.

"We thank those who have resigned for their service to the party but remind them that the TUV cannot stop Sinn Féin’s divisive border poll plans, as we have seen in recent days.

"Only the DUP can win."