Kenneth McClinton (born 1947) is a Northern Irish pastor and sometime political activist. During his early years McClinton was an active member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA/UFF). He was a close friend of Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) leader Billy Wright and was the main orator at his funeral following his killing by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in December 1997.
Early years
McClinton was born in the Shankill Road area of Belfast and raised initially in a Nissen hut. His father, a coalman, was an alcoholic and frequently spent time in prison. His parents' marriage broke up whilst he was a child and as a result of the ensuing poverty his mother moved around a lot with the children whilst McClinton himself spent three years in a Park Lodge State Welfare Home.
He left school in 1962 and briefly worked as a labourer before enlisting for twelve years in the Merchant Navy. McClinton was regularly involved in violence during his time away at sea and left the Merchant Navy with 200 stitches in his body from the knife fights in which he had participated. Following his return to Belfast McClinton found himself involved in further street-fighting until in 1972 he enlisted with the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR). McClinton lasted only the six months basic training in the UDR, feeling that the regiment was too restricted in what it was allowed to do. In particular, he complained that he had to fill in sixteen reports if he shot at rioters. He was released from the UDR after hitting a sergeant over the head with a bottle, during a fight.
Ulster Defence Association
McClinton joined the UDA after leaving the UDR and, with his military background, was soon added to the ranks of their Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), its branch responsible for committing violent attacks. He became commander of several UFF active service units and through these was involved in a series of what he later admitted were particularly brutal attacks. McClinton has refused to reveal any details of these events, despite admitting his involvement in this type of activity, as he has never been charged for them. After becoming a committed born-again Christian in the H Blocks, McClinton, led by his faith, wrote sixteen statements of full responsibility for very serious UFF terrorist offences, got the RUC/C.I.D. officers to the Maze Prison, and gave them the signed statements of guilt. These charges were sent to the Director of Public Prosecution with recommendations from Tennent Street RUC that there be 'no prosecution', since McClinton was already serving life sentences. This recommendation was accepted by the DPP.
McClinton was ultimately to be charged for two murders. In March 1977 McClinton murdered Catholic civilian Daniel Carville. The attack took place as Carville was driving his son down Cambrai Street, which links the Shankill and Crumlin Roads, on St Patrick's Day. During the failed second strike by the Ulster Workers' Council later that year, McClinton boarded a bus on which he shot dead Harry Bradshaw, the Protestant driver of the bus. Following the killing, the UDA, unknown to McClinton, wrote to his widow Sheila Bradshaw, stating that they were sorry for the murder and that they believed her husband to be a Catholic. A ten-pound note was included with the letter. Following pressures from politicians frustrated that workers were ignoring the Paisley-led strike and using public transport to get to their workplaces - the UFF ordered McClinton to execute a bus driver, in order to take all public transport off the Belfast streets. All transport was taken off following this assassination.
Following this killing he went to work on a plan to send hollowed-out books containing bombs through the post to IRA Brigade Staff targets. McClinton admitted in later life that at this time he wished to behead IRA terrorists and place the severed heads on the railings of the Shankill's Woodvale Park, in order to 'terrorise the terrorists', as was UFF policy. Craig however began to fear that McClinton, with his extreme suggestions about murder, was becoming too dangerous, and a possible rival to him as overall Military Commander of C Company UFF, and so he contacted members of the police he knew to give McClinton up to them.
Arrest and imprisonment
On 29 August 1977 McClinton's home, 59 Roseleigh Street, off Rosapenna Street, was raided and he was taken into police custody, where he eventually confessed to the murders of Carville and Bradshaw. However, when he came to trial McClinton retracted his confession and changed his plea to not guilty, appearing in court naked in what he claimed was a display of contempt for the trial. He was convicted of both killings.