Drug dealer caught in UVF probe opens ‘safe space’ caravan for kids sponsored by council

A coke dealer caught as part of a UVF drug-peddling probe is at the forefront of a mobile community hub promising a ‘safe space’ for kids.

And, incredibly, it’s sponsored by Belfast City Council.

Maggie Hutton was only recently convicted of dealing the class-A drug following a major investigation into East Belfast UVF by the PSNI’s Paramilitary Crime Task Force.

But the 51-year-old is pictured here carrying out renovations to a new mobile home which has appeared in the Lower Newtownards Road area of Pitt Park.

Pitt Park Residents Association is behind the surprising new community venture — surprising because it’s been placed right beside a purpose-built community centre which is already providing support and services to residents.

Called the Pitt Stop Caravan Community Hub, it has been placed in a car park in Fraser Pass right beside the Ballymac Friendship Centre, which has been providing youth clubs, homework clubs and other services for adults for years.

According to the Pitt Park Facebook page the new ‘hub’ is part of #Belfast2024 — a Belfast City Council-sponsored project which, according to the council, will deliver a “programme of cultural celebration”.

Last weekend Belfast City Council confirmed the residents group had been one of six groups in east Belfast given money from a total pot of £10,000 to renovate the mobile.

A council spokesperson said: “The Pit Stop Caravan is run by the Pitt Park Residents Association and was one of the successful Bank of Ideas initiatives that enabled people of Belfast to propose and decide on creative projects across the city.

“Successful applicants received a maximum of £2,000 for their projects.”

The emergence of the new centre has raised eyebrows — and the fact Maggie Hutton is at the forefront has sent those eyebrows sky high.

“Maggie Hutton — a woman convicted of dealing cocaine connected to the UVF — is promising a safe space for children… are these people for real?” said one horrified resident.

“She’s there most days and she’s been seen painting this thing and getting it ready for some big community opening. It’s a recipe for disaster.

“Should the council be giving money to a group who has a convicted drug dealer as one of its leading members?

“This mobile appeared out of nowhere a couple of weeks ago and then the flag went up from the Pitt Park Residents Association.

“Nobody knew it was happening — it just got dumped beside the Ballymac [centre] and according to their Facebook page it’s going to be there for the foreseeable future.”

Hutton was sentenced to 15 months in prison in January after she admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine over a six-month period, though the Judge at Belfast Crown Court suspended the term for three years.

Hutton is a former employee of the UUP and worked for a number of political representatives before quitting and running against the party in the 2016 Assembly elections, claiming it no longer represented the interests of working-class communities.

She was endorsed by top loyalist Stephen Matthews, who denies being the leader of the East Belfast UVF or being involved in criminality, and she was also endorsed by former UVF boss and convicted drug dealer David ‘Dee’ McConnell.

The move was a massive break from tradition as they snubbed long-term PUP candidate Dr John Kyle, who had been a respected councillor in east Belfast for years with the UVF-linked political party.

Similar projects to the Pitt Stop Caravan are being funded across the city.

The council said: “The Bank of Ideas is a new initiative by Belfast 2024 that enables the people of Belfast to propose and collectively decide on creative projects for our city.”

They say 93 ideas from across Belfast were put forward for voting and after 2,253 votes were cast in all parts of the city, the Pitt Stop Caravan was successful in the east.

The Pitt Park pitch to get funding from the council was as follows: “Turning a caravan into a creative community hub in Pitt Park as a drop-in for all ages, for a cuppa and soup or for children’s games, crafts, and community fun days.”

Pitt Park Residents Association has promised to turn the mobile into a useful resource for the community and say it aims to reduce anti-social behaviour.

It posted: “As part of #Belfast2024, we are thrilled to announce that the Pitt Stop Caravan is transforming into a vibrant community hub! Renovation works will begin in the next few weeks, and we cannot wait to share the journey with you.

“Art Project Alert! Local kids will have the fantastic opportunity to design and paint a part of the caravan’s exterior. Let’s bring some colour and creativity to our community.

“Join us for the grand opening event, where local community members, MLAs and news outlets will be in attendance. This will be a wonderful occasion to celebrate our new inclusive community hub. Date to be confirmed.

“This hub will provide much-needed services and a safe space for both our children and community. Aiming to reduce the recent rise in anti-social behaviour in our area.

“We thank you all for your understanding and support. We look forward to welcoming you to the new Pitt Stop Caravan Community Hub!”

Maggie Hutton is a committee member of the Pitt Park Residents Association and, according to the Charity Commission, she is listed as one of the board trustees.

In theory more community support for the working-class area should be applauded but there have been community tensions in the area which were exacerbated after the murder of community worker Ian Ogle.

The 45-year-old father of two was beaten and stabbed to death in 2019. Two men have pleaded guilty to murder while three more are currently on trial at Belfast Crown Court.

Residents have told the Sunday World they are concerned the sudden arrival of the new ‘centre’ could raise tensions as the area was the subject of an alleged UVF display in 2021.

Stephen Matthews (61) and Derek Lammey (59) are due to stand trial next spring after they pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawful assembly, affray and intimidation following an incident in Pitt Park, where around 40 masked men — allegedly linked to the UVF — gathered for a so-called show-of-strength.

A few days after that incident the Ballymac Friendship Centre announced it was closing due to threats from the UVF.

Hutton embarrassed herself when she was lifted as part of a special investigation into the East Belfast UVF’s drug operation.

In a brazen interview with loyalist campaigner Jamie Bryson on his Unionist Voice blog, she repeatedly lambasted the media for “damaging her reputation” and strenuously denied that she was a criminal.

Yet when she was convicted she told a probation officer that her arrest in March 2019 was a “blessing in disguise’’ and she hasn’t snorted a line of cocaine since.

Over her involvement in the supply of cocaine, Hutton told the probation officer: “I am stupid. It is all my own fault.’’

But it is all a far cry from what she said just weeks after her arrest by officers from the PSNI’s Paramilitary Crime Task Force.

In an interview with Bryson on April 16, 2019, Hutton hit out at the media, telling him: “I fully support the criminal justice system. However, I feel that my reputation has been severely damaged by the media and also by the media turning up at my house on the morning I was arrested. It portrayed me as a criminal and I am not.

“I haven’t been offered the fairness of a trial. Everything is going through the media, on Twitter, whatever.

“People are making assumptions about me and my reputation has been severely damaged… and on top that what I would like to say is that the media has played a major part in what has happened to me.

“As I say, they turned up at my house. Neighbours saw them and sometimes, even now, some of the neighbours are dropping the head.

“This is all because how the media portrayed me when they came to my house.’’

Hutton was a prominent supporter of the flag protest campaign and at one stage appeared to endorse the activities of the UVF.

She later claimed she had been misquoted but remarked in 2011 that she believed the UVF was the only group capable of protecting Protestant communities from what she described as “Catholic gangs”.

She later insisted there is no place for paramilitary violence, but suggested organisations needed help to move away from violence.

In a statement to the Sunday World issued through loyalist Jamie Bryson, the residents group claim Maggie Hutton can help kids not make the same “mistakes” she did with drugs.

They also say the ‘Pit Stop Caravan’ is “necessary” because some residents have “found themselves excluded” from the Ballymac Centre and they cited “numerous issues” within that group.

In a statement issued via JWB Consultancy, the Pitt Park Residents Group also said: “Therefore it was necessary for the good people of Pitt Park to have access to a facility, particularly for the young people.

“This is what the hub provides and it was put there following discussions with local elected representatives.

“The group will continue to work with all statutory agencies to ensure this facility serves the interests of the whole community rather that an handful of selected self-appointed gatekeepers and further ensure it complies with any legal requirements.

“In respect of Ms Hutton. It is fundamental principle of society that one who has committed offences, and been punished for them, has the right to reintegrate into society and indeed the justice system and law encourages this approach.

“The group is satisfied that Ms Hutton has recognised, via a guilty plea before the courts, the error she made during a difficult period of her life (on one occasion, which was reflected in the limited sentencing).

“Indeed, it is precisely because of this acknowledgment of wrongdoing and rehabilitation that Ms Hutton is an important voice in the community to encourage all, particularly young people, to avoid similar mistakes and to refrain from any engagement in the nefarious drugs trade which has no place in any community.”