Sinn Féin appoints new councillor who had told cops he'd ‘shoot them with machine-gun'
Sinn Féin has appointed a new councillor who pulled out of the last election after it emerged he'd been to court for telling cops he'd 'shoot them with a machine-gun', it has emerged.
Ruaídhrí Lyttle stepped down and apologised back in 2023 after disturbing comments he made during a drunken rant at the police resurfaced.
West Tyrone Sinn Féin MP Órfhlaith Begley announced on Friday night that 30-year-old Lyttle was being co-opted onto Fermanagh and Omagh District Council to represent the Gortin and Killyclogher area of Mid-Tyrone.
She wrote: 'Delighted to welcome our new councillor Ruaídhrí Lytlle [sic] for the Gortin and Killyclogher area of Mid Tyrone.
'I also want to thank our outgoing councillor Anne Marie Fitzgerald for her many years of commitment and service.
'During her 18 years as a councillor, Anne Marie has been a first-class representative and a tireless worker on behalf of the community she has represented.'
And Lyttle himself said: 'This evening, I am taking the opportunity to announce my co-option as the Sinn Féin cllr for Mid Tyrone in place of Anne Marie Fitzgerald, who has offered her resignation after serving the local community with distinction for over 18 years.
'I would like to acknowledge the dedication, hard work and commitment to this role that Anne Marie has given for the last 18 years. I am determined to serve in this role as cllr for Mid Tyrone in the same manner.
'I am determined to bring the same energy and commitment to this role as Anne Marie has. I am determined to campaign tirelessly for local people on local issues. I look forward to the challenges ahead and to representing you all.'
Despite a chequered past, Lyttle is highly regarded in Sinn Féin and is known for working hard on the ground on a number of issues.
And despite his misdemeanours, his announcement has been widely welcomed among nationalists in Tyrone.
In April 2023 in the run-up to the local council elections we revealed (right) how Lyttle, who had been standing for the republican party in the Mid-Tyrone area, had been involved in an embarrassing incident six years ago which resulted in him being brought to court.
In response, Lyttle told the Sunday World he didn't want the issue to become a 'distraction' for his 'party colleagues' and he had decided to step down.
We had revealed that Lyttle, who lives in Omagh, was convicted of disorderly behaviour on a boozy night out in the County Tyrone town two days before Christmas in 2017.
And things took a decidedly nasty turn when Lyttle, who was 23 at the time, approached police officers and started to shout abuse at them, including telling them he would 'shoot them with a machine-gun'.
Police in Omagh are particularly sensitive to such threats — however unlikely they are to be carried out—– given that dissident republicans murdered PC Ronan Kerr in Omagh in 2011.
Lyttle announced his plan to stand for election six days after DCI John Caldwell survived a murder bid at the hands of two dissident republican gunmen in February and he was hoping to be elected to represent the Killyclogher and Gortin areas — to which is now being co-opted.
In a statement at the time he told the Sunday World: 'I apologised in court a number of years ago for my behaviour and accept fully that my actions were wrong.
'My role in this incident remains a matter of deep regret. I don't want this issue to become a distraction for my party colleagues and in light of this, I have reconsidered my position.
'I have decided to withdraw my name from standing in this year's local government elections.'
Sources who know Lyttle told us they were 'surprised' he jumped so quickly.
'I'm very surprised he's decided to drop out over this,' said one source. 'It was obviously an embarrassing incident but it was six years ago and he has apologised.
'Ruaídhrí would have been a good council rep but he obviously had a past and he'd been done for being disorderly a few times so maybe he was worried about the details of all of those coming out.'
Lyttle was arrested and brought before District Judge Bernie Kelly, who told him he couldn't blame alcohol for his shocking outburst, his behaviour had been 'despicable' and that he had exposed 'the true Ruaídhrí Lyttle'.
He was fined £100 for the drunken outburst. But Omagh Magistrates Court was told in 2017 Lyttle had two previous cautions for disorderly behaviour.
His solicitor told the court Lyttle had consumed 'a lot of alcohol' and clearly hadn't learned his lesson from the previous cautions'.
Judge Kelly was less than impressed with Lyttle's behaviour, saying: 'I genuinely never know where to start with someone like you.
'You were three years old when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. How much personal experience do you have of the Troubles?'
A sheepish Lyttle replied a simple 'none', to which the judge asked: 'So what gives you the right to make such comments about police officers?'
Shame-faced Lyttle replied: 'I don't have any.'
But Judge Kelly wasn't finished with Lyttle.
She added: 'Alcohol does not turn you from Doctor Jekyll to Mr Hyde. If it was not in you it would not come out. Alcohol pulls down the facades.
'That was the true Ruaídhrí Lyttle we saw that night. It was despicable behaviour. I promise you there will be an entirely different outcome if I see you again.'
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