He served as a commander in the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and was killed by members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) as part of a violent loyalist feud between the two organisations. He was alleged to have taken over the north Belfast Ulster Defence Association (UDA) leadership. According to the report they agreed that West Belfast Brigade members loyal to the wider UDA should establish a new command structure for the brigade which would then take the lead in ousting Mo Courtney, Jim Spence and Eric McKee from their existing leadership positions. Spence is a native of the Woodvale area of Belfast's Shankill Road. Would you like Wikipedia to always look as professional and up-to-date? He is also a member of the organisation's Inner Council and the spokesman for the Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG), the UDA's political advisory body. He was a leading member of the West Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and for a number of years a close ally of Johnny Adair. [9] [10], In 2013 it was reported in the Belfast Telegraph that the UDA West Belfast Brigade had become so associated with criminality and racketeering that the three other Belfast-based brigadiers, Jackie McDonald (South Belfast), Jimmy Birch (East Belfast) and Bunting (North Belfast), no longer felt able to deal with the western leadership. John Bunting (born c. 1967)[1] is a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary leader and activist. Following the attack both Bunting and Howcroft were arrested on suspicion of involvement. As of 2014 Bunting is the head of the North Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and thus a member of the Inner Council that controls the organisation. After falling from grace, Simpson spent a number of years outside Northern Ireland.

As of 2014 Bunting is the head of the North Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and thus a member of the Inner Council that controls the organisation.. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and undertook an armed campaign of almost twenty four years as one of the participants of the Troubles. James "Jimbo" Simpson, also known as the Bacardi Brigadier, was a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary. John Bunting is a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary leader and activist. Die Morde wurden aufgedeckt, als am 20. Als Snowtown murders (Snowtown-Morde) oder auch Bodies-in-Barrels murders (Leichen-in-Fässern-Morde) wird eine Mordserie in South Australia bezeichnet, bei der zwischen August 1992 und Mai 1999 elf Menschen ermordet worden sind. [15] In August 2014 as Bunting drove along Duncairn Gardens, a street separating Tiger's Bay from the republican New Lodge area his car was damaged by a pipe bomb thrown at it. Sections, The UDA has been rocked by power struggles for over a decade, some of which have led to murders in the organisation. According to the report they agreed that West Belfast Brigade members loyal to the wider UDA should establish a new command structure for the brigade which would then take the lead in ousting Mo Courtney, Jim Spence and Eric McKee from their existing leadership positions. William "Billy" McFarland, also known as "the Mexican", is a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary. [22] However this new leadership also began a feud with the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) group in Mount Vernon, a move which was not endorsed by their previous allies in West Belfast. Contents. [21], The charges against Bunting were dropped in 2015 after a number of witnesses withdrew their statements, although Bunting did not return as brigadier, his place having been taken by "Big" Bill Hill, a dissident who had been prominent in the Belfast City Hall flag protests. [21], The charges against Bunting were dropped in 2015 after a number of witnesses withdrew their statements, although Bunting did not return as brigadier, his place having been taken by "Big" Bill Hill, a dissident who had been prominent in the Belfast City Hall flag protests.

These individuals were associated with the Irish Republican Socialist Party [IRSP] which had broken away from the Officials. Since 2007 the South East Antrim Brigade has operated independently of the UDA following a fall-out. The Guardian has identified it as "one of the most dangerous factions". [16] Tiger's Bay had emerged as the stronghold of the anti-Bunting faction. [27]. [13] Bunting's opponents criticised his alleged heavy-handed approach, particularly towards Tiger's Bay residents, whilst his supporters claimed that Bunting's attempts to tackle the drugs trade in the area were the real reason behind the attempts to remove him. Thomas English, usually known as Tommy English, was an Ulster loyalist paramilitary and politician. [11] The feud was confirmed in December 2013 when a UDA statement was released acknowledging the existence of a dissident tendency within the North Belfast Brigade but confirming support for Bunting's leadership. Splits among loyalist paramilitary groups such as the UDA and UVF are of major concern for police, according to PSNI chief constable Matt Baggott. [19] As is standard within the UDA whilst in custody Bunting had to relinquish his role as brigadier although his replacement, a close friend of McDonald's from Taughmonagh in south Belfast identified only as the "Burger King Brigadier" due to his weight, has been reported as merely a figurehead with no actual power. Molyneaux was once a close friend of Howcroft's. [8], As brigadier he ensured that his brigade took part in decommissioning of weapons and invited the Independent Monitoring Commission to meet with him and other north Belfast leaders in 2010 after claims that the UDA were expelling residents from the Tiger's Bay area. [17], Soon after the latter attack former North Belfast brigadier William Borland, who had become associated with the pro-Molyneaux wing, was attacked with a breeze block and shot in the leg close to his home in Carr's Glen. [4] He was also involved in talks with local leaders from neighbouring nationalist areas in an attempt to reduce tensions at North Belfast's numerous interface areas. The UDA West Belfast Brigade is the section of the Ulster loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), based in the western quarter of Belfast, in the Greater Shankill area. Tensions had been further stoked by a graffiti campaign against Bunting's leadership on the York Road, in which expelled members of the North Belfast Brigade, who had come under the wing of their counterparts in the west, called for Bunting's removal as brigadier. [4] He was also involved in talks with local leaders from neighbouring nationalist areas in an attempt to reduce tensions at North Belfast's numerous interface areas. Blair attempted to shore up his position by recruiting former allies of Bunting to his side, having reportedly been only sixth choice for the role with several more prominent figures turning down the job as a "poisoned chalice". Kincaid is the head of the West Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), which has disavowed the wider UDA and is now independent. In May 2014 Bunting was attacked in Tiger's Bay by a group of opponents. Matthew Kincaid is a Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary leader and activist.

[16] Tiger's Bay had emerged as the stronghold of the anti-Bunting faction. To install click the Add extension button. [24] John Boreland was shot dead soon after this.