A Dungannon DUP councillor who made comments about a children’s GAA tournament that he mistakenly believed to be named after an IRA hunger striker has been suspended from Council for three months.
Clement Cuthbertson, an elected representative on the Mid Ulster District Council, was given the three-month suspension following a hearing of the Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner (NILGC).
The sanction related to comments made on social media by Councillor Cuthbertson about a children’s sports tournament organised in Coalisland in 2022 to commemorate a local man, Francie Hughes – a tournament named after a former chair of the club.
Councillor Cuthbertson had posted on social media that the GAA “continues to idolise convicted terrorists”, believing the tournament to be named after one of 10 men who died on hunger strike.
Adjudication Commissioner Ian Gordon found that the Facebook post contained “inaccurate, unacceptable and offensive comments about a deceased man”. The post also referenced all elected representatives in the Mid Ulster area and referred to a local business.
When he was informed about the mistake the Councillor took the post down.
However, when he was given the opportunity to express regret about his actions, Adjudication Commissioner Gordon found that Councillor Cuthbertson took no steps to clarify his post or apologise to the man’s family or fellow councillors.
Notwithstanding the prompt removal of the post, the Adjudication Commissioner was satisfied that the Councillor was in breach of his obligations under paragraph 4.13(a) of the Code to show respect and consideration for others. He also found that his actions had breached paragraph 4.2 of the Code by bringing his role as councillor into disrepute.
In considering what sanction to apply, he noted the mitigating factors in the case, which included that Councillor Cuthbertson had no previous history of noncompliance with the Code, and his co-operation with the investigation and
adjudication process.
However, the aggravating factors included the Councillor’s obfuscation instead of clear explanation of his actions, and his lack of subsequent insight into the impact of his comments.
Commissioner Gordon commented that the facts of the adjudication would merit a suspension of four months however he gave full credit for the relevant mitigating factors in the case, noting that the purpose of sanction is not to punish a councillor, rather it is to ensure there is no future breach of the Code and to discourage similar conduct by other councillors.
It is also to uphold the public interest in good administration and to help foster public confidence in the ethical standards regime.
The Adjudications Commissioner suspended Councillor Cuthbertson for a period of three months from the date of his full written decision, to end on July 11, 2025.
