Jamie Bryson acquitted on false statement charges

Loyalist activist Jamie Bryson has been acquitted on charges of making a false statement to the UK's private security industry regulator.

The case against him was formally dismissed after no evidence was offered in the prosecution over door staff operating in the north Down area.

A judge at Belfast Magistrates' Court also awarded him more than £500 legal costs in defending the long-running proceedings.

Mr Bryson later declared himself fully vindicated and hit out at the Security Industry Authority (SIA) for taking the case against him.

He stated outside court: "I have put manners on them, and trust they will learn a lesson."

The high-profile loyalist has been locked in a legal battle with the regulator for the last seven years.

In 2018 the SIA issued a private summons against him for allegedly providing false information to the authority.

A £450 invoice allegedly created by JJ Security Services Ltd, a company where Mr Bryson was a named director, formed part of the inquiries.

Previous courts heard it detailed five men being provided for six hours, at a rate of £15 per hour, at a bonfire event.

As part of the probe an SIA investigator wrote to Mr Bryson requesting information about the company.

In his reply the high-profile loyalist stated that JJ Security Services Ltd has never traded and he does not hold any relevant information.

Mr Bryson faced two charges of making a false statement to the authority.

Denying any wrongdoing throughout the process, he argued that the SIA's powers did not extend to Northern Ireland.

Central to his defence was a further contention that the chair of the body had no right under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 to delegate authority to investigators who examined his alleged activities.

In August 2023 Mr Bryson initially succeeded in having the summons dismissed at a preliminary stage focused on legal issues about the validity of the process.

However, the Court of Appeal ruled that decision was wrong in law and remitted for rehearing.

At Belfast Magistrates' Court it was confirmed that no evidence was being offered by the prosecution.

Following the outcome Mr Bryson sought costs of just over £1,000 against the SIA.

Describing the case as "certainly out of the ordinary", District Judge Steven Keown decided that he was entitled to a payout.