Northern Ireland

Police investigating claims of UDA intimidation during DUP leadership contest

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson arriving for the DUP meeting at the Ramada Hotel in Belfast on Thursday. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson arriving for the DUP meeting at the Ramada Hotel in Belfast on Thursday. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire Sir Jeffrey Donaldson arriving for the DUP meeting at the Ramada Hotel in Belfast on Thursday. Picture by Brian Lawless/PA Wire

POLICE are investigating claims of UDA intimidation during the DUP leadership contest.

It comes after Sir Jeffrey Donaldson reportedly told of how members of his team were threatened by the loyalist group while out campaigning for him to become party leader.

It was reported that the Lagan Valley MP made the claim during the DUP meeting in south Belfast on Thursday night to ratify Edwin Poots' leadership.

Sir Jeffrey was contacted for comment about the allegations, but had last night not issued a response.

In a statement last night, a PSNI spokeswoman said: "Police have received a complaint that a number of members of a political party had been threatened during a recent leadership campaign.

"The full circumstances of the incident are still being established and enquiries are continuing at this time."

Speaking about the claims yesterday, Mr Poots said any allegations of threats to anyone should be reported to police. He said no members of his team engaged in acts of intimidation, insisting they fought a "clean campaign".

"If that's the case then Jeffrey should report that to police," he said.

"If anyone was intimidated, that should be reported to police.

"I can assure you categorically that no member of my team engaged in any activities of intimidation or bullying.

"We fought a fair campaign, we fought a clean campaign, it was a close contest, I accepted the outcome and I would have accepted the outcome if I had lost it.

"I would encourage all others, if there was anything that was done untoward by any individual, then that should be reported to police, and it certainly didn't come from my team."

Sinn Féin MP John Finucane described the reported threats as "deeply disturbing".

"If true, this is a very worrying development that an armed, illegal organisation was involved in influencing the outcome of the leadership contest of the largest party in unionism and a party of government," he said.

"It represents an attempt to subvert the democratic process and that is totally unacceptable.

"Armed groups have no place in society and certainly not in the business of government.

"The PSNI needs to investigate these reports to find out whether they are accurate and establish exactly what happened and the DUP has a responsibility to fully co-operate with that investigation."

UUP leader Doug Beattie also said the claims of intimidation were "shocking".

"There needs to be a police investigation," he told the Nolan Show.

"I have been threatened by the UDA in the past, that's what some of them do - the criminal elements within that. The police need to be investigating.

"Nobody should be intimidated at any stage whether in politics or not, so something has to be done about this.

"It is truly shocking, it is awful to even hear it being spoken about."