Paul Berry (politician)
| Paul Berry | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Newry and Armagh |
|
|
In office 25 June 1998 – 7 March 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | New Creation |
| Succeeded by | William Irwin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
3 June 1976 Craigavon, County Armagh |
| Political party |
Independent Unionist DUP (1982–2006) |
| Spouse(s) | Lorna Berry |
Paul Berry (born 3 June 1976) is a Northern Ireland unionist politician.
Berry was born in Craigavon, County Armagh, and brought up in Tandragee, where he was educated at local state schools and colleges, following which he was employed in the textile industry. He joined the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) at the age of 16, the same age at which he began gospel singing in churches in the North Armagh and Banbridge areas.
With his high profile as a singer, Berry was elected, aged 22, the youngest MLA in the first Northern Ireland Assembly as a DUP representative for the Newry and Armagh constituency in the 1998 election and was re-elected in the 2003 election.
He was elected to Armagh City and District Council in 2001, and re-elected in the 2005 elections.
In the 2005 general election Berry was the DUP candidate for Newry and Armagh constituency.
Just days before the election, the Sunday World newspaper claimed that Berry had met a man for a massage, with whom he had made initial contact via a gay chatroom, in a Belfast hotel room booked by Berry under a false name. Berry claimed that he was seeking treatment for a sports injury, and said he was considering legal action against the paper. He was not elected and was the only DUP candidate to experience a fall in their share of the vote in favour of the Ulster Unionist Party.
...
Wikipedia