Member's statement: Lisa Dorrian
Member's statement by Mr Stephen Dunne on .
- MLA
- Mr Stephen Dunne
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 24 February 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Lisa Dorrian
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5404104
Read the official Assembly record
Text
This week will mark the 21st anniversary of the disappearance of Lisa Dorrian, aged just 25, from a caravan park in Ballyhalbert in County Down on 28 February 2005. Lisa's disappearance has left an unfillable hole in the lives of her loving family and many friends. It continues to cast a dark shadow across our local community to this day, as, tragically, her body has never been found. For over two decades, Lisa's family has endured unimaginable pain and heartache, yet, through it all, they have shown incredible courage, resilience and determination in their quest for justice. Their campaign to find answers has not only kept Lisa's memory alive but shone a light on the important issue of unresolved cases across Northern Ireland and beyond. I commend the Dorrian family for their bravery and resilience in continuing to search for justice, shine that light for innocent victims and find Lisa. The courage and commitment of Lisa's family — her father, John; her late mother, Patricia; and her sisters Joanne, Michelle and Ciara — over the many years has given great hope to so many other families in similar dark situations. Having met members of Lisa's family on several occasions, I know that their desire for truth and justice is just as strong today as it was 21 years ago. No family should ever have to face the additional heartbreak of not being able to bury a lost loved one. The "Let's Find Lisa" campaign has been a strong advocate of the introduction of Charlotte's law to Northern Ireland. The long-awaited progress on that is welcome, and I encourage the Minister to continue to make progress on that. I know that it is close to the heart of Lisa's family, and they have courageously campaigned for it for many years. I will continue to support those efforts. I again take the opportunity to urge anyone with any information at all to contact the PSNI. Any information would help the ongoing investigation. As the family continues to campaign to bring Lisa home, I say, "Do the right thing and speak up". Let's find Lisa.
352 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: 0.03 (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).
- Subject area: Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism.
- 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 | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.37 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | 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 | 0.39 |
| Legacy of the Troubles, victims and paramilitarism | 0.39 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.13 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.07 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:01 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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