That Christopher Stalford’s sad death was suicide has been confirmed to me by a source I trust greatly.
Of course that fact is a great tragedy and suffering for his family and friends.
But I do not think that the conspiracy of silence that surrounds his death is either honest or healthy.
Christopher was a public figure with very well publicised opinions on a wide variety of matters.
He was a very public figure and his death is truly a matter of great public interest.
You cannot seek universal publicity on the one hand and demand absolute privacy on the other.
THE SUGGESTED CAUSES OF CHRISTOPHER’S DEATH
Christopher’s political friends have been telling journalists that Christopher died as a result of an aneurism. They have been stressing that Christopher’s father also died of an aneurism – portraying is as an inherited medical condition.
But Christopher’s father died of an aneurism that was the result of a very bad assault and beating.
Christopher, thank God, suffered no such beating.
Some “informed sources” said that Christopher was deeply upset by the rows happening in secret at very divisive DUP meetings – meetings about Jeffrey Donaldson, Douglas Beattie and Edwin Poots. Christopher was a Poots supporter.
For such rows and meeting to make you commit suicide you would have to be a person who took such things very personally – a very emotional person.
Did Christopher show such emotional and personal hurt about issues that perhaps would not normally require such a personalised response.
He he is getting very emotional about the death of Prince Philip – a well known but remote man.
A strange emotional response to the death of a remote and very old man.
Was Christopher affected in the same way by the internecine rows in the DUP?
Would he really have taken his own life over DUP infighting?
Is the internal life of DUP really that bad and that wicked?
OTHER SUGGEST CAUSES OF HIS SUICIDE
One report says he was sexually involved with a clergyman or priest.
Another says he was being blackmailed by a man from the gay app Grindr.
I think we need a sensitive but truthful statement on Christopher’s death.
Not least because suicide is a very big problem in our society among younger men.
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 