UDA boss Jim Gray appeared to have put his recent brush with death firmly behind him yesterday as he jetted off to sunnier climes to top up his tan.
The east Belfast loyalist – who was shot in the face during the LVF/UDA feud – was the centre of attention on a flight from Belfast to Gran Canaria.
One might have thought the UDA commander – who, along with his paramilitary colleagues, is expected to be investigated by the newly established Assets Recovery Agency – would want to keep a low
profile.
But Gray, whose nickname is 'Doris Day', cut a dash that blinded the eyes of the holidaymakers on the packed plane.
Dressed in a white shellsuit, the loyalist wore his trademark black sunglasses, the flamboyant look being topped off with some requisite heavy gold jewellery. One stunned onlooker, who said Gray was accompanied by another man and two women, said: "It was a real motley crew.
"Gray certainly cut a dash and was dripping with jewellery. You couldn't miss him.
"Most people knew who he was and he was walking about the place as if he owned it. Thank God he wasn't staying in our hotel."
Well known loyalists with no visible means of income have taken regular luxury breaks abroad, much to the chagrin of ordinary holidaymakers who save all year for such a trip.
At the height of tensions between rival UDA factions, Johnny Adair and his wife Gina swapped their former lower Shankill Road home for the chillier climate of Lapland.
Such breaks don't come cheap, with day trips costing up to £300 per person. A week-long stay for a family can run into thousands.
One irate traveller said at the time: "How can he afford to go to Lapland? For many, this is the trip of a lifetime, with many of us saving our hard-earned cash through work to give our kids a trip they will remember."
Meanwhile, convicted UDA murderer Michael Stone yesterday claimed that the now jailed Adair was a British agent.
