Loyalist killer jailed for sending threatening letter to councillor

LOYALIST killer Garfield Beattie has been sentenced to 15 months in prison for sending a letter to Mid Ulster councillor Denise Mullen, to intimidate her into discontinuing legal action to seize his assets for murdering her father. Beattie and other members of the UVF shot dead Ms Mullen’s father, Denis Mullen (35), at his home near Moy in September 1975.

Imposing the jail term at Dungannon Magistrates Court, District Judge Michael Ranaghan said, Beattie had “effectively ruined her life” when she was a young girl and his action in sending the letter also had a devastating effect on her. He also told the 64-year-old loyalist that he did “not believe there was one drop of remorse in his body” for sending the letter, as claimed in court through this solicitor.

As well as the murder of Mr Mullen, Beattie was also convicted of killing Patrick McNeice, aged 50, outside his home near Loughgall, and 48-year-old father-of-four Fred McLoughlin, who died in a UVF gun and bomb attack on the Eagle Bar in Charlemont. He also admitted a number of other terrorist offences, including the attempted murder of Olive Mullen, the wife of Denis Mullen.

On September 12, 1977, Beattie of Moss Road, Annaghmore, Portadown, was sentenced to three life sentences and served nearly 17 years in jail.

In the letter sent last September, Beattie warned Ms Mullen that there would be “consequences” for her and her immediate family if she did not abandon her action against him. The letter was signed, “East Tyrone UVF”.

He was convicted at the Magistrates Court after a contest in which Ms Mullen gave evidence that the letter had caused great emotional distress to her family. After listening to evidence from Ms Mullen and Beattie, the District Judge found the defendant guilty of using intimidation to stop a legal action and the improper use of a correspondence.

Judge Ranaghan also imposed a lifetime restraining order forbidding Beattie from contacting Ms Mullen, either directly or indirectly, or referring to her or her family on social media.

Beattie was granted leave to appeal the sentence but refused bail while awaiting the appeal hearing.

Judge Ranaghan said, “I will not release him in the interim. I cannot understand any court imposing anything but an immediate custodial sentence”.