UDA killer Mo Courtney to face Belfast Magistrates’ Court charged with making a threat to kill

UDA killer Mo Courtney is to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court charged with threatening to kill victims campaigner Raymond McCord.

It is understood the incident happened around the Millfield/Peter’s Hill area of west Belfast on Monday when Mr McCord was in a car with Tracey Coulter.

Mr McCord later went to Antrim Road PSNI station and made a complaint that Courtney allegedly threatened to kill him.

Belfast Daily understands that 53-year-old was arrested at his Fernhill Heights in west Belfast home around teatime on Monday.

He was taken to Musgrave Street PSNI station to be question over allegations he told Mr McCord: “I will kill you.”

Courtney was later charged with making a threat to kill against Mr McCord and also harassing Tracey Coulter.

He is to appear in the dock of Belfast Magistrates’ Court this morning.

It is unlikely he will be given bail and will be remanded in custody.

Two weeks ago, Courtney was convicted of assaulting a woman in a row over drugs.

Tracey Coulter claimed at Belfast Magistrates Court that housebreaker-turned UDA hitman Courtney punched and throttled her earlier this year.

Courtney was found guilty by a district judge of the savage attack on Lower Shankill mum-of-four Tracey Coulter, leaving her with a badly bruised eye and suspected broken nose.

A few days after the attack, the UDA in west Belfast tried to burn Ms Coulter’s Shankill Terrace home to the ground in an arson attack.

Ms Coulter’s dad, Jackie Coulter, was murdered by the UVF in August 2002 during a feud with the UDA.

The intended target that day was Mo Courtney but the UVF hitman couldn’t find him and turned his sights on Coulter who was sitting in a car with Bobby Mahood who was also murdered.

Grandad Courtney – jailed for eight years for the murder of UDA member Alan ‘Bucky’ McCullough – headbutted his victim, and punched her twice in the face before grabbing her by the throat and threatening to kill her during an altercation at the offices of the publicly funded Lower Shankill Community Association (LSCA).

Ms Coulter made a complaint to police who forwarded a file on the incident to the Public Prosecution Service.

In a reserved judgement, a district judge found Courtney guilty of the assault.

He will be sentenced in the new year.

Courtney, from the Glencairn area, has a criminal record which runs to six pages.

These include convictions for manslaughter, robbery, hijacking and disorderly behaviour.