Eddie Sayers (born 1941) is a former Northern Irish loyalist who served as brigadier of the Ulster Defence Association's (UDA) Mid Ulster Brigade in the 1980s. Sayers ran a small business in Omagh, County Tyrone, and became involved in unionist politics, joining

Ian Paisley Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, (6 April 1926 – 12 September 2014) was a Northern Irish loyalist politician and Protestant religious leader who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 1971 to 2008 and First ...

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...

(DUP).Steve Bruce, ''Paisley: religion and politics in Northern Ireland'', p.225 He stood for the party in Mid Ulster at the

1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. P ...

, taking 4,454 first-preference votes, but narrowly missed election. In the late 1970s, Sayers left the DUP and became active in the

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

Ulster Defence Association (UDA). He was quickly appointed Brigadier of its Mid Ulster Brigade. He stood for election to Omagh District Council in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, as an independent unionist, but came bottom of the poll, with only 74 votes. He also ran Borderline Security, which acted as a front for the UDA. Within the UDA he became noted as a close comrade of overall leader Andy Tyrie. In 1987, the investigative journalist Roger Cook filmed Sayers attempting to extort money from a reporter posing as a businessman. This was broadcast the following year as an episode of '' The Cook Report'', and was considered extremely embarrassing by the UDA, not least because it showed Sayers struggling with basic arithmetic. In the immediate aftermath of the broadcast the UDA announced that Sayers had been removed from his position, although in fact he remained as Brigadier in Mid-Ulster until he was arrested sometime later. He was tried at Belfast Crown Court in 1989, and sentenced to ten years in prison. While in the Maze prison, Sayers studied to become a legal clerk.Ciaran McGuigan, "Taxing times for ex-UDA thug", '' Sunday Life'', 3 December 2006 He was released in 1999, and gained employment at Taylor & Co solicitors in Belfast. In this role, he worked on legal cases for Johnny Adair, but his employer lost his licence to practice law in 2003, while facing bankruptcy proceedings. In 2005, Sayers was charged with the theft of more than £700,000, and of dishonestly obtaining a mortgage. In 2006, Sayers was declared personally bankrupt for failing to pay overdue taxes, while, in 2009, he was fined for leaving waste on land in County Fermanagh, despite orders to clean up the site.'' Sunday Life'', 30 August 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayers, Eddie 1941 births Living people Democratic Unionist Party politicians Members of Omagh District Council Loyalists imprisoned during the Northern Ireland conflict People from Omagh Ulster Defence Association members