A newly-elected Co Down councillor has described how she has been accused of exploiting the deaths of her children for votes in a letter sent to her home.
Linzi McLaren, who was elected last week to Ards and North Down Borough Council, said she received a letter to her home on Tuesday, claiming she was a "bad mother".
Ms McLaren, who received 989 first preference votes in the Holywood and Clandeboye DEA, said she would not be put off working for constituents by the anonymous typed letter, and said she has been in contact with the PSNI.
She had revealed in a series of tweets earlier this year how her first child, Ben, died as a result of cot death several years ago, while she also lost another son mid-pregnancy, and delivered him in hospital before receiving "no aftercare".
Ms McLaren said in a tweet that she later received mental health care when it became obvious she "was in desperate need of intervention".
In the tweets in January, she described the loss of her son Ben as "unimaginable and unexplainable".
Speaking of the letter she received on Wednesday, she said it stated "how I have exploited the death of my children for votes, what a bad mother I am for neglecting my children to run a political campaign, and how vile the UUP are".
Ms McLaren, a mother-of-four, continued: "People can say what they like about me, but talking about my children is another matter. I have lobbied, and I will continue to lobby, for mental health resources. My children are not only safe and happy, but they are proud of their mum."
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Among those to offer support was Strangford Alliance MLA Kellie Armstrong, who replied in a post: "Sorry to hear you have been subjected to such a horrible letter. Good for you getting PSNI involved. Too many women in politics have been on the receiving end of such hate. Solidarity."
SDLP Mournes councillor, Laura Devlin, condemned the "appalling" letter.
"No one should be subjected to this. We need women - as well as mothers in political life. It’s so vitally important," she said.
The PSNI said it had received a report and enquiries are ongoing.
"The Police Service of Northern Ireland remains committed to doing everything we can to ensure all candidates can participate in the Northern Ireland election process free from harassment, intimidation or any other form of criminality," a spokesman said.
