LOYALIST murderer Garfield Beattie has been convicted of attempting to intimidate Mid Ulster councillor Denise Mullen in order to force her into dropping a legal action seeking to seize his assets for murdering her father.
Beattie was one of the feared Glenanne Gang who murdered scores of people members of the 1970s. He shot dead Ms Mullen’s father, Denis Mullen, who was an activist with the SDLP, at his home near Moy in September 1975.
He also shot Olive Mullen, Denise’s mother 13 times and was convicted of her attempted murder as well as for three murders and a number of other terrorist offences. In 1977, Beattie of Moss Road Annaghmore, Portadown, was sentenced to three life sentences and served nearly 17 years in jail.
In the letter send last September, Beattie – now aged 64v- warned Denise Mullan that there would be “consequences” for her and her immediate family if she did not abandon her action against him.
The letter was signed, “Mid Ulster UVF”.
Ms Mullen, who is an Aontú Councillor, told the Magistrates Court that the letter had caused great emotional distress to her family.
Beattie admitted sending the letter, but claimed it was not done to intimidate Ms Mullen and he was, in fact, suggesting the action she was taking against him was “bad for her health”.
He also said it had been a ‘mistake’ to sign the letter as coming from the UVF.
District Judge Michael Ranaghan found Beattie guilty of using intimidation to stop a legal action and the improper use of a correspondence.
Judge Ranaghan said it was “ludicrous” of Beattie to state that the letter did not purport to come from the UVF and expressed “disgust” with the intimidation tactics.
He added, “I was very tempted to dispense with the requirement of a pre-sentence report and send you to jail today. I will however listen to what Probation have to say before sentencing.
“You are also on licence so there my be an inevitability regardless. I very much warn you must co-operate with Probation”.
Judge Ranaghan told Beattie to keep his head down when leaving court and not to even glance at Ms Mullan.
Outside the court in Dungannon, Mrs Olive Mullen attended a protest with supporters before the hearing. She held a placard that read: “RUC – UVF – MOD – MI5. Murdered my husband Dennis Mullen and your 13 shots attempted murder of me.”
Responding to the case, Aontú Leader and Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín expressed solidarity with the Mullen family, and emphasised the continued battle that victims and survivors of the British Military and the Glenanne Gang face.
An Teachta Tóibín: “Today Denise stood up with incredible bravery to the UVF man who killed her father, and prevailed in Court. This is an incredibly emotional day for Denise. Beattie was found guilty of intimidation after sending a death threat to Denise’s home in
October 2020. The threat was signed in the name of the East Tyrone Ulster Volunteer Force and specifically threatened the peace process”.
“Today is a crucial victory for victims and survivors, but still is only the tip of the iceberg. Our thoughts and prayers are with Aontú Deputy Leader Denise Mullen. 46 years ago the Glenanne
Gang murdered her father in her family home. Denise, then aged just four, discovered her father’s lifeless body and was forced to stay beside him for two hours over fears there was a bomb inside the family home. In October 2020, her father’s killer sent a death threat to Denise’s home”.
“Denise and her family have shown immense bravery in their tireless work on behalf of the victims and survivors of the Glenanne Gang, and to ensure that truth and justice are achieved.”
“A death squad made up of Loyalist terrorists, members of the British Military in Ireland and RUC officers, murdered over 120 innocents across the North of Ireland. The Miami Showband Massacre, the sectarian murders of the Reavey and O’Dowd families, the Dublin and Monaghan bombs, the murder of Denis Mullen – the list goes on”.
“I have called upon three Taoisigh to meet with the victims and survivors – but to no avail,” Deputy Tóibín said. Michéal Martin promised to meet with survivors but no matter how much my office has followed up, it has not happened. These survivors and victims deserve the full support of the
Irish government in their fight for truth and justice especially at a time when the British Government Seeks to introduce an amnesty for the perpetrators of these murders”.
“It is inexcusable that they have not received any support from the Irish government at the time of writing. I call upon the Taoiseach and all political parties in Ireland north and south, to support victims and survivors in their pursuit of truth.”