Man remanded on McCullough murder charge

A man was today remanded in custody charged with murdering rogue paramilitary Alan McCullough.

William “Mo” Courtney, 39, from Fernhill Heights in the Shankill area, appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court charged with murdering the one-time ally of jailed terror boss Johnny Adair, and with membership of the outlawed Ulster Freedom Fighters.

A detective sergeant told the court that when charged Courtney replied: “definitely not guilty”.

Detective sergeant John McIntyre said that he believed he could connect Courtney with the charge.

The leading loyalist, who was arrested on Thursday outside a Chinese restaurant in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, is the second person to be charged with the murder.

Two days ago North Belfast loyalist Ihab Shoukri was remanded in custody accused of the murder and of UFF membership.

Courtney’s lawyer said he believed there was not sufficient evidence to link his client to the two charges.

He said that the fact that he was not opposing an application for remand did not show that he was consenting to custody.

The detective sergeant confirmed that Courtney had not been picked out in an identification parade held yesterday evening at Donegal Pass police station.

He was remanded in custody to appear before a video-link on July 11.

McCullough, 21, was discovered shot dead in a shallow grave in the Mallusk area of North Belfast

The UFF later admitted the murder, claiming McCullough had been involved in the killing of the UDA’s East Antrim commander, John Gregg, a bitter rival of Adair.

Gregg was gunned down near Belfast Docks in February, at the height of a deadly feud that claimed four lives.

As Adair languished behind bars, members of his splinter ’C’ Company unit were forced out of their Lower Shankill stronghold and forced to flee to Scotland and England.

McCullough, who was the military commander of the group, returned to Northern Ireland last month, after negotiating to have a death sentence against him lifted.

On the night he disappeared, two senior UDA men called at his home. He was never seen alive again.