David Tweed: Former councillor dies in motorcycle crash

David Tweed is a former international rugby player and former councillor for Ballymena

Former councillor David Tweed has died in a motorcycle crash at Dunseverick in County Antrim.

Mr Tweed served on Ballymena council for the Democratic Unionist Party and later the Traditional Unionist Voice.

He was also a former international rugby player, who was capped four times for Ireland.

DUP MLA Mervyn Storey said the news was shocking and described Mr Tweed as a "larger than life character".

Police received a report shortly after 16:30 BST on Thursday that a motorcycle was involved in a collision with a car.

The motorcyclist died at the scene in the Whitepark Road area, police have said.

Mr Tweed was a former member of the Orange Order in Dunloy and was involved in the Harryville dispute when loyalists picketed a Catholic church in Ballymena.

He left the DUP in 2007 over the party's decision to share power with Sinn Fein and later joined Jim Allister's Traditional Unionist Voice.

In 2012, Mr Tweed was convicted on child sex abuse charges, which were quashed in 2016 after he served four years of an eight year sentence.

Following his conviction, he was expelled from the Orange Order and was suspended and then replaced by the TUV.

'Difficult times'

Mr Storey said: "I was stunned when I heard the news, David joined our church in Ballymoney over a year ago and would be the first through the door and always had a big smile on his face.

"It is well known that he had some difficult and sad times in his life and it is very upsetting to hear of his passing."

David Tweed was capped more than 30 times for Ulster

Mr Storey said that Mr Tweed was an "Ulsterman to his core in every sense of the word" from his stint in local politics to his playing career with the province.

He made his international debut against France in the 1995 Five Nations championship.

Mr Tweed was also part of Ireland's squad at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa in 1995 and made more than 30 appearances for Ulster.

TUV leader Jim Alister said he was "deeply saddened to learn of the death of former Ireland rugby star and Ballymena councillor, Davy Tweed, in a road traffic accident in north Antrim yesterday".

Mr Alister expressed his "sincere sympathy to his grieving family and wide circle of friends".

Police have asked for any witnesses or anyone who may have captured dash cam footage of the incident on Thursday to get in touch with them.