David Tweed: Stepdaughter rejects TUV leader's apology

A stepdaughter of David Tweed has said she does not accept an apology from Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister, who issued a message of condolence after the man's death.

Tweed died in October after a motorcycle crash in County Antrim.

The former unionist councillor had been jailed for child sex abuse although his conviction was subsequently quashed.

After his death, Mr Allister issued a message of condolence but he has since apologised for some of his remarks.

Amanda Brown, who was sexually abused by Tweed from the age of eight, said: "I don't feel it was an apology at all."

In 2012, Tweed was convicted on child sex abuse charges, which were quashed in 2016 due to the way the jury had been directed in his initial trial.

Tweed had served as a councillor in County Antrim for the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and later the TUV.

'Apology won't cut it'

Shortly after Tweed's death, Mr Allister said he was "deeply saddened" and he expressed his "sincere sympathy to his grieving family and wide circle of friends".

David Tweed died after a motorcycle crash in October

Mr Allister also described Tweed, who played rugby for Ulster and Ireland, as "larger than life".

In an interview with BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme last month, Ms Brown criticised the TUV leader for his comments.

Mr Allister was one of three politicians whom she said "should have known better" than to issue public condolences after Tweed's death.

He initially stood by his remarks, but later said Tweed's daughters were "clearly hurting" and that he was sorry that some of the things he said had "added in any way to such hurt".

Jim Allister described his former party colleague David Tweed as "larger than life" after his death in October

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme on Friday, Ms Brown said it was too late for an apology.

She said that Mr Allister's repeated references to Tweed's conviction being quashed undermined his attempt to apologise.

"I believe that he's said what he believes is the right thing to say throughout," she said.

"An apology at this stage isn't going to cut it at all because he has done quite a lot of damage with the words that he has already used.

"It's not so much even me that he should be apologising to, it's every other victim out there."

Asked about Ms Brown's comments, a spokesman for the TUV said: "We issued a statement last week and we've nothing further to add to it."

Orange Order guard of honour 'insulting'

After Tweed's conviction he was suspended and then replaced by the TUV.

A senior Orange Order source told the BBC TalkBack programme that while Davy Tweed was expelled from the organisation following his conviction, when the conviction was quashed, he applied and was readmitted into the Orange Order.

But Ms Brown said the institutions Tweed had been a part of had not done enough to separate themselves from him.

She called for them to "publicly stand up and create distance".

She said she and her family were "disgusted" and "insulted" by what she called a decision by Orangemen to give Tweed a guard of honour at his funeral.

"All of these people claim to know him. If they knew him, as they claim to have, they would have known about both the court cases so they know who and what he is," she said.

"[They] should have known he doesn't deserve a guard of honour."

The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland has declined to comment on the record.

• Former councillor dies in motorcycle crash

Amanda Brown said she believed Tweed had more victims and she urged them to seek help so they could heal.

Speaking of how she and her sisters have processed the abuse they suffered, she said: "None of us really dwell on the past.

"We acknowledge and accept what has happened to us because it's part of our healing that we do that but we don't dwell on it, we don't sit in it.

"At some point in our lives each of us has.

"But through getting the right help, we've been able to process through that and look forward to creating new memories.

"All of us who have children, our main priority is making sure that our children are kept safe, allowing them to know that no matter what, we will believe them and we will listen to them."