How ‘Bunter’ Graham and ‘Harmless’ Harry led push to stand down the leaders of UVF crime gang

Loyalist sources say Shankill men John ‘Bunter’ Graham and Harry Stockman were key figures in the decision to remove eight individuals from their positions in the terror group.

The two loyalist veterans are believed to have formulated the plan which resulted in Stephen ‘Mackers’ Matthews – alleged leader of the UVF in east Belfast – being ousted from the organisation along with seven of his closest cohorts. Matthews has previously denied all involvement in criminality and paramilitarism.

And the paramilitary coup has even been hailed as a boost for DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s bid to return his party to Stormont.

Yesterday, historian and political analyst Dr Aaron Edwards – who has written extensively on the UVF – said he hoped recent developments in east Belfast would bring positive results.

“This is make-your-mind-up time. The people of east Belfast are entitled to know if this organisation has their interests at heart. We’ll know soon enough,” said Dr Edwards, who lectures in history at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst.

Veteran loyalists Graham and Stockman have played vital roles in Ulster Volunteer Force thinking for many years.

Both men were disciples of UVF founder Gusty Spence, who died 12 years ago.

In 2009, Stockman delivered the UVF and Red Hand Commando statement claiming the groups’ main weapons arsenal had been decommissioned.

But we have learned Stockman and Graham were the brains behind a secret blueprint which saw East Belfast UVF routed without a single shot being fired.

On Remembrance Sunday, a seven-man team of UVF men – known to be extremely loyal to Matthews – were told they were no longer members of the paramilitary group.

The move saw the cabal of ‘ceasefire soldiers’ – who had seized control of the UVF’s East Belfast Brigade – sliding off into the sunset without as much as a P45 between them.

Back in their Shankill Road base, loyalist veterans ‘Bunter’ Graham and ‘Harmless’ Harry quietly celebrated, delighted at the relative ease with which the East Belfast operation went.

Stockman’s uncle was Robert ‘Basher’ Bates – a member of the Shankill Butchers gang – who was himself murdered by the son of one of his victims.

And Graham first came to prominence during the supergrass trials of the 1980s. There have been repeated assassination attempts on both of them by republican paramilitaries.

Twelve years ago, Stockman was lucky to survive a savage knife attack outside a supermarket in west Belfast.

Together, Graham and Stockman have notched up nearly 100 years service to the loyalist cause. And they are both well known for their diplomatic skills when dealing with hot-headed paramilitaries.

But two weeks ago, they gave the green light to an ‘under new management’ arrangement which resulted in ‘Mackers’ and his mates being shown the door. And it appears to have worked.

A loyalist source said: “The East Belfast Brigade area runs from the lower Newtownards Road to Bangor and north Down. But it had become the Dodge City of Northern Ireland as far as UVF leadership was concerned.

“During their time in the UVF, the East Belfast men didn’t adhere to a central command structure. They refused to attend meetings on the Shankill.

“And for many years they ran their own show. They just did what they liked and were answerable to no one.

“But thanks to John Graham and Harry Stockman, they’re now gone and the ordinary people of east Belfast can sleep easier in their beds.”

The source added: “John and Harry will forever be known as the men who cleaned up Dodge. They should put a plaque up to them.”

Ever since the UVF was reconstituted in the mid-1960s in opposition to liberal reforms being introduced by the unionist government, its seat of power has remained firmly in west Belfast.

“If the truth is told, control of the UVF is still held in a handful of streets,” said a west Belfast loyalist. “That’s the way it was, that’s the way it is and always will be. The Shankill is the beating heart of the Union.”

But following the death of PUP leader David Ervine in 2007, the organisation’s East Belfast Brigade gradually severed its links with the Shankill.

The gang developed reputations for being unreliable. According to sources, they appeared to have little or no interest in what was going on in other Brigade areas.

And the last thing they wanted to know about was political developments which included parties other than the Progressive Unionist Party.

“If the real truth is told, then this mob had no real interest in the PUP either,” said an east Belfast loyalist source.

Dr Edwards, whose book UVF – Behind the Mask was a bestseller, says he expects to see change in east Belfast loyalism after the standing down of leadership.

He said: “Over the years, I’ve asked the question in a number of areas of leadership. I’ve repeatedly asked UVF leaders, ‘why do you tolerate East Belfast?’.

“Every time I asked it, I got the same answer. The UVF leadership didn’t want to run the risk of have another Billy Wright or LVF-type split. They would say, ‘we don’t want an LVF moment’.

“What happened on Remembrance Sunday was a huge risk as far as the leadership was concerned but so far, it appears to have worked.”

Dr Edwards said the UVF top brass had finally responded to repeated criticism about the organisation in east Belfast, where local people looked upon the UVF as simply a drugs gang.

“The UVF leadership turned their backs on the peace process, but I don’t think they ever fully turned their back on the political process.

“And as a result of what happened last week in east Belfast, the UVF Brigade staff has given Sir Jeffrey Donaldson a leg-up to be able to deal with the politics, because the violent opposition has been neutered.”

Dr Edwards added: “It seems to me there’s a great deal of choreography going on, but that can be a good thing.”