Alderman John Finlay: '˜Jim Wells deserves our support'

I have known Jim for many years and he is one of the most genuine and decent people I have ever met.

During the General Election campaign in April last year, Jim became embroiled in a controversy over remarks he was alleged to have made about same sex couples at a hustings event, and as a result of the subsequent fallout, he felt he had to resign as Health Minister. As he himself stated, in just 30 seconds his career was ended.

On top of all that, he had to cope with the serious illness of his wife.

It became clear later that Jim had not said what he was alleged to have said, and, just last week, I was pleased to see that a woman was sentenced for wasting police time in relation to the hustings event. This is an important and encouraging development, and Jim himself is currently pursuing redress through other legal avenues.

Jim Wells has been the victim of an outrageous smear campaign which, if social media is anything to go by, continues to this day.

Justice demands that he clears his name, and it is vital that we stand with him as he seeks to do so.

I urge all people of goodwill to publicly support Jim at this time, and I call upon those who falsely maligned him, or who were openly critical of him, to now publicly apologise to him. It is the least they can do.

Alderman John Finlay, Causeway Coast and Glens Council