Police contradict court claim by Carla Lockhart that she attended masked men protest at the request of the PSNI

The PSNI has contradicted claims made to a High Court judge that DUP MP Carla Lockhart attended a loyalist protest involving masked men at the request of the PSNI.

The claim was made during a legal challenge arising from a Parades Commission decision to ban members of the Orange order from marching through the mainly Catholic Garvaghy Road district of Portadown, in Co Armagh.

The Drumcree dispute, which began in 1995 after nationalists objected to the Orange Order going through the area, sparked widespread disorder that resulted in the deaths of several people.

The victims included three Catholic schoolboys Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn who died when their home was petrol bombed by loyalists in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, in an arson attack linked to the dispute.

At a court hearing earlier this month, High Court judge Mr Justice McAlinden was told that Upper Bann MP, who was present in the court, had written a letter in support of Portadown Orangemen.

While the hearing on July 3 was not reported at the time, the Irish News has obtained a record of proceedings.

During the hearing, the judge raised ‘concerns’ about Ms Lockhart’s attendance at a loyalist protest in Scarva, which is outside her constituency, last month in opposition to a pro-Palestinian march, which passed close to the village.

The DUP MP was pictured standing beside masked men during the peaceful procession as abuse was directed at those taking part.

The judge said: “And it’s that type of, let’s say, willingness to get involved with those that appear to be, let’s say, well, wearing masks in public is a criminal offence, we know that it’s a specific offence.

“You know, it’s the, let’s say, lack of recognition of the public perception of that that does, in a sense, devalue her intervention in this particular instance.”

Mr Justice McAlinden added that “there was a potential to distance oneself afterwards, and that potential was not, in any sense, taken, there was doubling down.

“So, that does, I think, indicate a state of mind that would be somewhat inimicable to, let’s say, the universal application of rule of law, etc, etc,” he said.

Barrister John Larkin KC later addressed the court on behalf of the DUP representative.

“Ms Lockhart, who is present, has asked me to assure the court that she absolutely condemns appearances by masked persons or any other form of criminality and her presence at Scarva was for a specific purpose and she was specifically asked by PSNI to attend,” he said.

However, when asked by the Irish News if the PSNI requested Ms Lockhart to attend the event and if it was for a “specific purpose”, a spokeswoman contradicted the claims made to the court.

“The Police Service of Northern Ireland can confirm that no invitations were extended to elected political representatives in relation to a planned parade and associated protest at Scarva which took on Saturday June 6, 2026,” a spokeswoman said.

In a statement, Ms Lockhart accused The Irish News of “selective reporting” of the court hearing.

“It is notable that seemingly having possession of the transcript of the hearing, the Irish News try desperately to pluck out a couple of lines to try and demonise me, and unionism more generally, and ignore the plethora of material which raises very serious concerns about the conduct of the Parades Commission.”

And she added: “Out of respect for the Judicial process, I shall say no more about the specifics of the court hearing at this time. It goes without saying, I stand over all my actions and submissions made on my behalf. And I will be back in court on 24th August to support the applicant.

“I answer to the electorate of Upper Bann and the unionist and loyalist people of Northern Ireland, not to the Irish News.

“Finally, these attacks aren’t really about me personally, they are attacks on the idea that unionists and loyalists would dare to use the courts, dare to seek to enforce their rights.”