For many years, the luxury detached property in the upper Shankill area was home to Jim ‘Spencer’ Spence and his baker’s assistant wife Margaret
For many years, the luxury detached property in the upper Shankill area was home to Jim ‘Spencer’ Spence and his baker’s assistant wife Margaret, who is known locally as Maggie ‘Benidorm’.
Spence has been fingered in several investigatory reports, as the leading suspect in the 1989 murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane,
It’s an accusation the ex-UDA brigadier has consistently and vehemently denied.
Former UDA godfather Jim Spence’s luxury home
News in 90 Seconds, Saturday October 11
Last year, the Sunday World revealed Spence had skipped the city of his birth and was planning to make a new life elsewhere.
It is believed he made his move days after Secretary of State Hilary Benn announced a new high-level investigation into the UDA killing of lawyer Pat Finucane.
The father of John Finucane MP for North Belfast, Mr. Finucane was gunned down on February 12 1989 in his north Belfast home, as he ate Sunday dinner with his wife and family.
Now 65, Jim Spence has withstood over 35 years of suspicion and accusation that he masterminded the murder, which sent shock waves through the Northern Ireland legal profession.
Jim Spence with his wife Maggie
Spence, who has a conviction for robbing a Post Office, has persistently denied any role in the killing.
Speaking through his legal advisor Jamie Bryson, the former UDA Brigadier and Military Commander, stated he was more than willing to cooperate with the new investigation, but again he emphasised he had no knowledge of Mr. Finucane’s murder.
After his release from prison where he served a 10 year sentence on the loyalist wings, Spence had never held down a permanent job, apart from a short stint as manager of a loyalist club in the upper Shankill area.
And he famously told friends: “I never even poured a pint in the place.”
Despite his lack of employment skills, Spence still managed to acquire and fit out a large detached villa home in the finest luxury.
The attractive property off the Ballygomartin Road, is in a much sought-after part of the city and it sits on its own land with parking to the front and a large patio area at the rear.
Through the keyhole: Inside former UDA godfather Jim Spence’s luxury home
Margaret Spence is known for her superb taste in furnishing and using estate agent’s photographs, we were able to give our readers a glimpse into the five star lifestyle of a top loyalist Brigadier.
The house is the last word in luxury with several expensive art works adorning the walls of most rooms.
But it is the white marble kitchen which catches the eye of most female viewers.
The property went up for sale initially last Autumn and despite several close calls, it has so far failed to sell.
But it was recently placed back on the property market at a reduced bargain price of offers around £275,000, which is bound to attract renewed interest among buyers in a vibrant marker.
The Sunday World made contact with Margaret Spence this week, with a view to discussing her plans for the future, but she declined to comment on the matter.