Oliver Gibson
Oliver Gibson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for West Tyrone | |
| In office 25 June 1998 – 26 November 2003 | |
| Preceded by | New Creation |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Buchanan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 June 1934 Beragh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 27 April 2018 (aged 83) Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Other organizations | Orange Order Apprentice Boys of Derry |
Oliver Gibson (born 28 June 1934 in Beragh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, died 27 April 2018 in Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) was a founding member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
Gibson was a retired DUP councillor for West Tyrone.[1] He also served as an MLA for West Tyrone in the first session of the Assembly. He was a former teacher and was an officer in the Ulster Defence Regiment. His niece, Esther Gibson, was one of the 29 victims killed in the 1998 Omagh bombing.[2]
In 1999, David Jordan, a former Ulster Defence Regiment soldier, broke down in a bar and claimed to be part of a patrol that killed a nationalist councillor, Patsy Kelly, in 1974. Jordan reportedly implicated Gibson in the murder. Jordan was never formally questioned in relation to the matter and no charges were ever brought against Gibson.[3] [4][5]
In 2003, it emerged that Gibson was having an affair with his 35-year-old secretary Audrey McKenzie and was living with her in Ballybogy, County Antrim. His wife confirmed that he had left her and was no longer living in their Sixmilecross home.[6] He retired as a councillor in Omagh District Council shortly afterwards.[7]
External links
References
- ^ Press Releases - Chairman says farewell Archived 25 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Omagh District Council website
- ^ The Omagh Bomb - List of Those Killed, cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 28 July 2016.
- ^ Report Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, impartialreporter.com, 8 November 2001.
- ^ "Former UDR man faces quiz on murder", Irish Independent, 30 July 2003.
- ^ Judgement in the Matter of an Application by Teresa Kelly for Judicial Review to the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland; "Lost Justice: Who killed Patsy Kelly?" (broadcast on 27 November 2001, ITV); accessed 28 July 2016.
- ^ McAdams, Noel (20 October 2003). "DUP man exposed in new affair storm". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012.
- ^ Chairman says farewell Archived 25 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, omagh.gov.uk; accessed 28 July 2016.