Sinn Féin councillor claims PSNI collusion

A Sinn Féin councillor who received a bullet in the post has claimed his personal details were passed by a member of the PSNI…

A Sinn Féin councillor who received a bullet in the post has claimed his personal details were passed by a member of the PSNI to loyalist paramilitaries.

Mr Paul Butler, a member of Lisburn Council, received the bullet taped inside a Valentine card this morning.

Mr Butler who has received threats at two previous addresses said "Clearly somebody inside the police passed it on to loyalists. Nobody else had it [his address]. It is very worrying, and I don't know what to do."

The threat to Mr Butler came as police confirmed a number of people in the greater Belfast area have been warned their names and addresses are in the hands of loyalist paramilitaries.

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Mr Butler got the card just a fortnight after moving to a new home. He claimed police had been given his address when he applied to be included in a protection scheme because of fears for his safety.

Elsewhere, a police alert in the greater Belfast area has been linked to the recovery of a computer disk in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, at the height of last month's bitter feud involving rival UDA factions.

A spokeswoman said: "A number of people have been advised over the past two weeks to take steps to review their security arrangements".

PA