'A very wrong-headed approach': Naomi Long under fire for sex-law ruling appeal
TUV leader Jim Allister says Naomi Long's plan to appeal the High Court judgment which overturned a law granting anonymity to people suspected of sexual offences until they are charged as “a very wrong-headed approach”.
As reported by the Belfast Telegraph, Mrs Long wrote to Stormont ministers on Friday to outline her plans to appeal the decision and gave them a deadline to today to respond to her plans.
The law, called the Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, came into effect in 2023.
It granted anonymity for life (and for 25 years after death) to suspects who were not charged with any sexual offences.
The law was passed by MLAs following a review carried out by retired judge Sir John Gillen, with the act setting Northern Ireland apart from the rest of the UK and the Republic.
Whilst Mr Gillen recommended providing anonymity for alleged offenders before they were charged, he never suggested extending that beyond their death.
Reacting to news that the justice minister is planning to appeal the High Court judgment, TUV leader Mr Allister said: “This is a very wrong-headed approach by a department and a minister who seem unable to ever accept that they are mistaken.
“It was always wrong to criminalise people reporting that Jimmy Savile was a paedophile. To use public money in an attempt to defend this at a time when finances are under pressure is unforgivable.
“Alliance were happy to vote through cuts to the health budget but Naomi Long is quite prepared to squander money on this. It’s ridiculous.”
Last month, Mr Justice Humphreys declared it was beyond Stormont’s legislative competence to introduce the controversial act which has the “chilling effect” of imposing a criminal sanction on public interest journalism.
The ruling followed a challenge to the controversial legislation by Mediahuis, publisher of the Belfast Telegraph, Sunday Life, Sunday World, Sunday Independent and the Irish Independent, who sought a judicial review of the act.
A separate challenge to the lifetime anonymity clause was also taken on behalf of the BBC, Times Media Ltd, Guardian News and Media Ltd and other London-based organisations.
The Belfast Telegraph further reported that a source told them that Mrs Long believes the judgment has a “constitutional” impact because it is the first time that the courts have struck down a piece of primary legislation and the judgment was “fundamentally flawed”.
It also added that the source revealed that Mrs Long aims to convince her Stormont colleagues to appeal the decision as the courts “could potentially strike down their legislation as well”.
Mrs Long is currently campaigning ahead of her general election battle with DUP leader Gavin Robinson in East Belfast this week, which is expected to be one of the tightest contests in Northern Ireland.
The Department of Justice was contacted for a statement but failed to respond before the paper went to print.