Kyle Vauls
Powerlifter Vauls
Police at scene of boy's shooting
A weightlifting champ named recently in the Sunday World as a UDA commander is being blamed for ordering a 15-year-old to be shot.
Kyle Vauls, the UDA commander for Coleraine, is reported to have given the order after he suspected the schoolboy of setting fire to his car.
There was widespread revulsion this week after it emerged masked men burst into a house in Glebe Avenue in the early hours on Monday morning and shot the terrified teen in both legs.
Politicians from across the board slammed the attack which took place in the staunchly loyalist Harpur’s Hill estate.
But the Sunday World can reveal that Vauls and his UDA pals were gunning for the teenager for some time.
“The wee lad was running with a crowd of youths from all over the area and the UDA started giving them a bit of hassle,” said a source.
“The next thing was someone set fire to Vauls’ car – they put rags soaked in petrol underneath it and set it alight.
“Vauls is a beast of a man and with his UDA connections it really wasn’t a clever thing to do.
“The wee lad got the blame but nobody knows if was even involved in it.”
Johnny Adair wannabe, Vauls, has been happy to take the plaudits in recent years for his weightlifting feats all around the world.
But the man who leads the Pride of the Bann colour party has been far from happy in recent months since this newspaper exposed his role as a leading UDA figure.
He has been desperately trying to find out who within his organisation has been leaking information.
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he had his car torched outside his Harpur’s Hill home.
Musclebound Kyle Vauls
“The wee lad has been living out of town but came back on Sunday night to stay at his mother’s house in Glebe Avenue.
“It probably wasn’t his smartest move to come back to the estate so soon without having got permission.”
A paramilitary source believes the injured party’s fate was sealed when he was spotted on Sunday.
“He was seen going into his mum’s and within minutes the phone call was made.
“They waited until 5am and three masked men burst in and shot him in both legs.”
Earlier this year we unmasked a number of senior UDA men who had recently taken over the feared North Antrim and Londonderry Brigade.
The new leadership came after a bloodless coup where former brigadier Billy ‘The Mexican’ McFarland was deposed from the terror group's top table.
It's understood Vauls played a pivotal role in getting rid of McFarland after voting to oust him at a tense meeting a few months ago.
McFarland was summoned to a meeting in the Waterside area of Derry where he was presented with a dossier of complaints against him and his leadership.
They included financial mismanagement of UDA funds, doing business with republicans and taking protection money from expelled members.
During a second meeting two weeks later commanders from the area covered by the brigade voted to give McFarland the boot.
It’s understood McFarland was furious with his former commanders but he was particularly disappointed with Vauls who he regarded as his favourite and most reliable brigadier.
Vauls – who had never been named before – was furious that his name appeared in the Sunday World.
When the story appeared he was away in Hungary competing in the GPC World Powerlifting Championships where he scooped two world titles and another top award.
Since the new team has taken over there has been a series of so-called punishment shootings – all of which police believe were carried out by the UDA.
Following Mond’s cowardly attack a senior cop in north Antrim condemned them.
Chief Superintendent Kee stated: “Paramilitary style attacks target some of the most vulnerable in our communities.
“This is not a form of justice. It is a cruel and illegal practice which only serves to terrorise our communities, rather than reduce crime.
“Communities should not be subjected to this inhumane behaviour and the fear it brings.
“The unjustifiable shooting of a 15-year-old boy was a traumatic event for him, his family and Coleraine as a whole.
“The cross community condemnation in the aftermath of the attack was heartening and undermines those who portray themselves as acting on behalf of their local community in carrying out their violence”.
steven.moore@nth.sundayworld.com