A man aged 38 denies intimidation and possessing shotgun cartridges without a firearms certificate
A woman was left “emotionally and financially wrecked” after she was forced out of her home during a feud on a Co Down housing estate between rival loyalist factions.
Two statements from ‘Witness A’ which she made to the PSNI were read into the record at the Diplock-style non-jury trial of a man on charges linked to the feud.
Brett Sutcliffe, 38, now of Main Street, Ballynahinch, Co Down denies charges of intimidating ‘Witness A’ from her home in Weavers Grange, Newtownards, and possessing two shotgun cartridges without a firearms certificate.
Belfast Crown Court heard on Tuesday that in her first statement, dated June 13, 2024, ‘Witness A’ said that on March 18, 2024, between 12.30pm and 12.45 pm, her son was leaving their home address at 39 Weavers Grange to go to work.
“He had only left and returned immediately and shouted up the stairs: ‘Mum, come here. There’s bullets at the gate.”
The mother-of-two said she walked the five steps from the front door to the gate where she saw two shotgun cartridges, red and gold in colour, and sitting upright.
“My son took a few pictures of them on his mobile phones but we did not touch them. Both of us returned inside, locked the front door and I rang the police.”
‘Witness A’ said police arrived around 15 minutes later and seized the 12-bore shotgun cartridges..
She added: “After the police left, my son and I were too frightened to leave our home as we felt threatened and in fear of our lives.”
The witness outlined how she moved into 39 Weavers Grange in March 2021 with her daughter. Her son, who was living with his father, came to stay at the weekends.
In 2023, her daughter moved out and her son moved in permanently from January 2024.
She outlined that since moving into the social housing development, there had been a number of incidents “involving mainly one resident by the name of William McCabe who screamed in my face a number of times”.
During the opening of the trial on Monday, a prosecution barrister said McCabe was an associate of the defendant Sutcliffe who at the time lived at nearby Trasnagh Drive.
“Once he alleged that my son was speeding in the area which was a day or two after we moved into our house. He threatened to drag my son out of the car and beat him up.
“This scared the life out of me so much so I could not even get a word in to explain who was driving at the time as my son was too young to drive.”
She recalled another time when she was taking cigarette papers to a friend’s house and she ”waved the papers in the air”.
“About 20 minutes later, Mr McCabe and another male who I don’t know, came to my house. He was shouting at me that I was ‘doing drugs’, and shouting: ‘You’re out. You’re out. We’re getting you out’.
“I shouted back at him ‘why would I want to do drugs? And I get the police?’ My healthcare provider reported this to the police on September 16, 2022.”
She said she had been in hospital in 2024 after suffering from heart failure which she believed was caused by the “stress of living in Weavers Grange over the last three years”.
On March 20, 2024, police called at her daughter’s house where she and her son were staying.
“A police officer served a threat message on me which stated I had 24 hours to leave 39 Weavers Grange, or words to that effect.”
Witness A said that it was a week or so later that her son and other family members moved their personal belongings out of their home except large items such as kitchen goods, beds and a sofa.
“My son and I are living in temporary accommodation and I have no idea when or where we will be permanently rehoused.”
She said she had previously been formally diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and “living at Weavers Grange has added to the trauma”.
“I believe at the time I was the target of ongoing intimidation from the time we moved in until we were forced out fearing for safety,” said ‘Witness A’.
In a follow-up statement recorded on December 17, 2024, she said that when the anonymous threat message came through saying she had 24 hours to get out of her home, she said she was advised by police to request their presence at Weavers Grange when my family went to collect her belongings.
“When I returned on March 21 and again on April 2, 2024, police were requested but they did not turn up until we had been and gone.”
She said she eventually got a permanent address “but it is not the same as the home I left”.
Witness A added: “I have lost a lot of my belongings which took me time to build up. This whole incident has left me emotionally, physically, mentally and financially wrecked. Having to start all over again and rebuild, has left me, my son and the wider family terrified for our lives.”
She said the incident had left her terrified of every little noise, particularly around Halloween time.
Recalling one incident, she said “I heard what I thought was a gunshot. I dropped my shopping and ran home. I really thought someone was shooting at me but I know now it must have been a firework.”
It is the prosecution case that Brett Sutcliffe left the two shotgun cartridges at her gate as a forensic scientist identified a partial DNA profile on the ammunition which matched the defendant’s DNA which was by “direct contact”.
She concluded that it was “one a billion times more likely that the material recovered from the exhibit originated from Brett Sutcliffe”.
At hearing.
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