Juror forced to flee by UDA tells of trauma

A BELFAST civil servant says he was forced to flee to France following a UDA threat while on jury service.

Wishing to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, the man, who is originally from France, had been living and working here for 15 years.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, he said he had already been sworn in for jury duty when he received a visit at home from a masked man claiming to be from the terror group on January 6.

“They were basically telling me ‘make sure this person gets free or else your security is at risk’ — this whole speech they have when they want to threaten you,” he explained.

“I was in a state of disbelief, I felt like this is me dreaming, it’s not real.”

Shaken, he said he reported it to a judge and the PSNI the following morning.

He said a police investigation was launched and officers helped him travel to stay at a friend’s house that evening.

“I had 10 minutes to pack up a few things in a suitcase, not even a week’s worth of clothing. I was then whisked away from Belfast,” he added.

After speaking to the French authorities, he was advised to return there if he no longer felt safe.

Two months later he is on a period of unpaid leave in France and feels unsure of where to turn for help.

“I felt there would have been some sort of support structure in place to make sure that I was fine. But ever since I arrived home I’ve been trying to contact victim support groups in Northern Ireland and in France, but nobody seems to know who is in charge,” he said.

“I still haven’t been able to get any stuff from my home in Belfast.

“But I won’t ask any friends in Belfast to pick up the contents of my apartment.

“That’s 15 years of my life. “I really felt a strong connection to Belfast and am not ashamed in calling it my home, because it felt like it and still does.”

He said the PPS requested an investigation into the incident but until now it has remained inconclusive.

“If it wasn’t for the PSNI giving me updates I would feel completely lost. Every time I try to reach a victim support group in France or Northern Ireland I’m told they can’t help me or they just refer me to a leaflet,” he said.

He was angered by the recent meeting between First Minister Arlene Foster and the Loyalist Communities Council, an organisation representing loyalist terrorist groups.

“To me, it’s giving them legitimacy,” he added.

“I have no sympathy for those groups no matter what side they’re on. To me, either side should not have any right to exist. All of these people are known but it feels like no one is willing to do anything about them.

“Are other people getting threatened too?”

Asked if he would ever return, he said: “Honestly, maybe on a holiday in a couple of years. But I know I will be stressed when I go out.

“I have to make a decision with work that could involve requesting a transfer. But where would I go, to England or Scotland?

“Either way, in the back of my mind I still wonder if someone would follow me.”

The PSNI said: “We do not discuss the security of individuals and no inference should be drawn from this.

“However, if we receive information that a person’s life may be at risk we will inform them accordingly. We never ignore anything which may put an individual at risk.”