DUP Cllr appears in Court in relation to Facebook comments over Castlederg parade

DUP councillor Ruth Patterson has appeared in court to face a charge of sending a message on a social networking site that was grossly offensive.
It relates to a Facebook comment she made about an imaginary attack on a republican parade in Castlederg.
57-year-old Ms Patterson appeared at Belfast Magistrate’s Court. Her lawyer said she would be contesting the charge.
Earlier this month Belfast DUP Cllr was arrested in relation to comments she made about a planned republican parade in Castlederg.
In a conversation on Facebook, she had responded to someone else’s post about an imaginary attack on the parade in Castlederg in which several people including Sinn Féin figures are killed.
Cllr Patterson did later apologise, she said her comments were “completely incompatible with the polices of the Democratic Unionist Party and what is expected of me as an elected representative”.
Her supporters at the hearing included DUP Health Minister Edwin Poots and East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson.
Junior minister Jonathan Bell accompanied Ms Patterson into the court.