A Loyalist quizzed in relation to a string of brutal murders has denied he is behind a XXX-rated smear campaign against his former lover.

Hardcore homemade movies featuring the former loyalist hardman and his beautician ex-lover, who runs a salon in Dungiven, were distributed to businesses throughout strongly nationalist Co Londonderry town.

The mucky DVDs were posted anonymously through the letterboxes of local firms after the couple went through a messy split.

The racy films — featuring Mark Fryer, a one-time close associate of the UDA’s ‘Brigadier of Bling’ Jim Gray, and Fryer’s ex Lisa Ferris — spread like wildfire after they were also posted on a string of internet websites and ‘bluetoothed’ between mobile phones.

Sunday Life understands that police have investigated the 100 minute-long film after a number of copies were recovered from Dungiven businesses, but no criminal offence was believed to have been committed.

Said a police spokeswoman: “Police were made aware of an incident, however a crime has not been detected.”

Fryer, who told Sunday Life that he had been quizzed by cops in relation to a number of UFF murders, denies he had anything to do with the hardcore sex films being made public in a bid to embarrass his former lover.

He has been the subject of a number of non-molestation orders granted by the courts.

Fryer was due before Limavady Magistrates Court last week to fight a charge of breaching the latest order against him. District Judge Eamonn King threw out the charge when Ms Ferris failed to turn up to give evidence to the case, which had been listed to be contested.

Fryer told a Sunday Life reporter outside the court: “We had planned to get married in Bali next year and were due to go to Turkey in July to get a ring.

“But I finished it (the relationship with Ms Ferris) on May 21. From that date, she has had me arrested several times.

“This time I allegedly rung her.

“But if she has not turned up to court, what chance have I to defend myself against her allegations?”

When we asked him about the sex-tapes, Fryer denied being behind the bid to smear his former lover.

He added: “She asked me to leave back a number of music CDs and some DVDs and I left them in her garage. Anyone could have taken them — I had nothing to do with it.”

When Sunday Life asked Ms Ferris why she had not turned up to court to give evidence, she said she had not known a hearing had been scheduled. And when we asked her about the tapes, Ms Ferris claimed: “That’s not the worst thing Mark has done — they’re fairly minor.”

Fryer told Sunday Life that he had fled to the North West after being interviewed by detectives investigating a number of loyalist murders. The east Belfast man, who was close to former UDA brigadier Gray, was interviewed about the horrific doorstep murder of Arthur Berryman.

Mr Berryman (46) was stabbed to death in a frenzied attack at his Imperial Street home on October 31, 2001.

Gray’s right-hand-man William ‘Spud’ Murphy was charged with his murder. Fryer had been expected to give evidence against him, but the case collapsed.