Donald Hodgen
| Donald Hodgen | |
|---|---|
| Born |
25 May 1963 Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Ulster Defence Association (UDA) member and commander of its C Company, 2nd Battalion Shankill Road, West Belfast Brigade |
Donald Hodgen (born 25 May 1963) is a Northern Irish loyalist and a former member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). He was best known as the commander and chief enforcer of West Belfast Brigade leader Johnny Adair's notorious C Company which operated on the Shankill Road.
Born into a Protestant family in Belfast, Northern Ireland in May 1963, Hodgen grew up on Albertville Drive in the loyalist Lower Oldpark area, which is close to the Lower Shankill. In the early 1980s he joined a racist skinhead gang based in the Lower Shankill and Lower Oldpark areas which included Johnny Adair, Sam McCrory, "Fat" Jackie Thompson, James and Herbie Millar amongst its membership. Hodgen, Adair, McCrory and Thompson were all classmates at the Somerdale School on the Crumlin Road. and, although the gang still officially attended the school, they would frequently skip school, catch a public bus into the near-countryside and consume large quantities of cider. This was always procured by Hodgen, who was much taller than the rest of the gang and so appeared older than he actually was. Hodgen formed a close friendship with Adair during their time together in the skinhead gang.
The gang began to gather outside the Buffs Club on the corner of the Crumlin Road and Century Street, where their numbers were swollen by other young men from in and around the Shankill. The imposing Hodgen, who for a time had a red-white-and-blue mohican and had tattoos on his head of the Union Flag and the legend "Oi! Skins", became the most recognised face of the gang. The gang became involved in petty crime, progressing steadily into more violent activities and even formed a Rock Against Communism-styled band called "Offensive Weapon". Although Hodgen did not play with the group he and another skinhead called Marty, who was English-based and more usually worked for Skrewdriver, were the band's road crew for their gigs. Part of the Offensive Weapon's performance would see Hodgen and Marty invade the stage at the end of the band's set and attack the band members, to the delight of the audience.
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