Suspended DUP Assembly member Paul Berry today blocked party disciplinary action after claiming he wanted to ensure he received a fair hearing, he said tonight.
The Newry and Armagh MLA went to the High Court in Belfast where he won an injunction against party officers, headed by the Rev Ian Paisley, who planned to go ahead with a disciplinary panel hearing against him on Monday.
Mr Justice Weir ordered that the DUP be restrained from considering or continuing with any disciplinary proceedings until they comply with the rules of their own party and those of natural justice, according to a statement by Mr Berry's solicitors Madden & Finucane.
In July Mr Berry was suspended from the DUP following newspaper claims he had met a male masseur in a Belfast hotel who alleged a sexual encounter took place. Mr Berry denied the allegations.
PA
