David Tweed: pensioner admits causing death of former Ireland rugby international and DUP and TUV councillor
A north Antrim pensioner has admitted causing the death of former rugby international, former councillor and one-time convicted paedophile David Tweed.
As Anne Broughton stood in the dock of Antrim Crown Court, defence KC Kieran Mallon asked for the single charge to be put to the 71-year-old again.
Judge Philip Gilpin agreed and accordingly Mrs Broughton, from the Whitepark Road in Ballycastle, entered a guilty plea to causing the death of David Tweed by driving carelessly on the Whitepark Road, on October 28, 2021.
None of the background facts of the case were opened in court on Thursday, but it was reported at the time that 61-year-old Tweed died at the scene when his motorcycle was in collision with a car around 4.30pm that day.
A former international rugby player who was capped four times for Ireland, Tweed served on Ballymena council for the DUP and later the TUV.
As a former member of the Orange Order in Dunloy, he was involved in the Harryville dispute when loyalists picketed a Catholic church in Ballymena. He left the DUP in 2007 over the party's decision to share power with Sinn Fein and later joined Traditional Unionist Voice.
In 2012 a Crown Court jury found him guilty of 13 counts of indecent assault, gross indecency with a child and inciting gross indecency with a child and he was handed an eight-year jail sentence for those crimes.
He appealed, however, and having served four years behind bars, the Court of Appeal quashed Tweed’s convictions, citing the prejudicial nature of the trial judge’s charge to the jury.
In court on Thursday, Mr Mallon asked for Mrs Broughton’s sentencing to be adjourned to allow time for the completion of a pre-sentence report.
Prosecuting KC Ciaran Murphy said that, in addition, the PPS would be obtaining victim impact statements, reminding the judge that given Mrs Broughton’s admission, she now faced a mandatory driving ban.
Freeing Mrs Broughton on bail, Judge Gilpin said he would deal with the case on November 7.
Imposing an interim driving ban from Thursday, he told the pensioner the length of the ban would be determined when he passes sentence.