Davy Payne
H. David "Davy" Payne (c. 1949 – March 2003) was a senior Northern Irish loyalist and a high-ranking member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) during the Troubles, serving as brigadier of the North Belfast Brigade. He was first in command of the Shankill Road brigade of the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), which was the "cover name" of the militant branch of the UDA. The group was responsible for a series of abductions and killings of mostly Catholic civilians in the early 1970s.
Davy Payne | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | H. David Payne |
| Nickname(s) | "Psychopath" |
| Born | c. 1949 Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland |
| Died | March 2003 (aged 54) Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Allegiance | Ulster Defence Association |
| Rank | Brigadier |
| Unit | North & West Belfast Brigade (1974–1988) |
| Conflict | The Troubles |
He was arrested after being stopped at a Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) checkpoint while driving the "scout" (lead) car for his UDA colleagues whose cars' boots contained large caches of weapons imported from Lebanon. He was convicted and sentenced to 19 years in prison.