Mother Makes £20,000 Murder Plea

The mother of a Bangor man slain by loyalist paramilitaries three years ago has offered up her life savings in a bid to catch his killers.

Mark Christie was slashed to death by a machete wielding mob on the loyalist Kilcooley estate in 2006.

The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) later determined the gang had links to the UDA, although it is not believed the terrorist group sanctioned the killing.

Mr Christie, 36, was an alleged drug dealer, however, his mother Rosalie said that did not justify his murder.

She has now offered £20,000 to help bring her son's killers to justice.

"Mark died a horrible death and those of us left behind have been unable to get justice for him or move on with our lives," Mrs Christie said.

She said her son is worth "every penny" of the money, which also belonged to her late husband, who died months before Mark's murder.

"It is worth it to me to see justice, that is why I am doing it."

According to the PSNI, Mr Christie was confronted by a number of men while at a house on Millisle Gardens.

The gang chased him on to Owenroe Drive sometime after 11.30pm on 22 August 2006.

It is believed the mob was armed with a number of weapons, including a machete.

An IMC report into paramilitary activity concluded that those behind the attack had links to the UDA, but were not following orders from the illegal organisation.

Mrs Christie insisted she was not aware of her son's alleged drug dealing, and was shocked by the media coverage in the wake of his death.

"When all is said and done, Mark was my son. No-one deserves to die the way he did and the people who did this to him deserve to be put away," said the distraught mother.

Police investigating the killing have carried out 68 searches in the area and made nine subsequent arrests, however, no one has ever been charged with Mr Christie's murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Glenn Wright described Mrs Christie's reward as "very brave".

"The individuals who attacked Mark, did so to satisfy their own selfish agenda and nothing else. Nothing could justify this cold-blooded and vicious killing," said DCI Wright.

"The community would be a much safer place if those responsible were behind bars."

(PR/KMcA)