Kenny McClinton

Pastor Kenny McClinton
Born	Kenneth McClinton 1947 (age 69–70) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Residence	Portadown
Citizenship	British
Years active	1972-date
Employer	British Merchant Navy Ulster Defence Regiment
Known for	Ulster loyalist, Christian pastor
Political party	Ulster Independence Movement
Movement	Formerly Ulster Defence Association
Criminal charge	Murder
Criminal penalty	Life sentence
Children	Melinda Jane Samson

Kenneth McClinton (born 1947) is a Northern Irish pastor and sometime political activist. During his early years McClinton was an active member of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). He was a close friend of Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) leader Billy Wright and was the main orator at his funeral following his killing by the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in December 1997.

McClinton was born in the Shankill Road area of Belfast and raised initially in a Nissen hut. His father, a coalman, was an alcoholic and frequently spent time in prison. His parents' marriage broke up whilst he was a child and as a result of the ensuing poverty his mother moved around a lot with the children whilst McClinton himself spent three years in a borstal.

He left school in 1962 and briefly worked as a labourer before enlisting for a spell in the Merchant Navy. McClinton was regularly involved in violence during his time away at sea and left the Merchant Navy with 200 stitches in his body from the knife fights in which he had participated. Following his return to Belfast McClinton found himself involved in further street-fighting and heavy drinking until in 1972 he enlisted with the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR). McClinton lasted only the six months basic training in the UDR, feeling that the regiment was too restricted in what it was allowed to do. In particular he complained that he had to fill in sixteen reports if he shot at rioters.

McClinton joined the UDA after leaving the UDR and, with his military background, was soon added to the ranks of their Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), its branch responsible for committing violent attacks. He became commander of several UFF active service units and through these was involved in a series of what he later admitted were particularly brutal attacks. McClinton has refused to reveal any details of these events, despite admitting his involvement in this type of activity, as he has never been charged for them.Martin Dillon would later uncover a confession given to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) by McClinton for a number of other crimes in 1977 which police had agreed to strike clean.

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