Member's statement: Missing Person: Gary Patterson
Member's statement by Ms Cheryl Brownlee on .
- MLA
- Ms Cheryl Brownlee
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 13 January 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Missing Person: Gary Patterson
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4737864
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I express deep concern about and am raising awareness of the ongoing search for Larne man Gary Patterson, a 45-year-old who has been missing for almost three months. The last confirmed sighting of Gary was on Saturday 12 October 2024, when he withdrew £100 from a bank machine close to his home in Larne. Since then, there have been no further sightings and no developments in the case. Gary is described as having dark hair. When last seen, he was wearing a distinctive yellow and black checked-pattern coat, dark blue jeans, hiking or walking boots and a black beanie hat. He has links to the Larne and Belfast areas, and his disappearance has caused significant distress to his family, his friends and the wider community. I commend the police for their continued efforts to locate Gary and for reissuing their appeal to the public for any information that might help. The case, however, serves as a stark reminder of the heartache and uncertainty faced by a family when a loved one goes missing. I take the opportunity to urge anyone who may have seen Gary or who has any information about his whereabouts, no matter how small it may seem, to come forward and contact the police on 101. Every piece of information could be crucial in the search to bring Gary home. I acknowledge the support and efforts of Gary's family and friends, who have worked tirelessly to organise searches and raise awareness about his disappearance. Their determination is a testament to the power of our community and the importance of standing together in difficult times.
267 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.06 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.71 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.23 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.03 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.03 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:42 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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