Justice minister Naomi Long wants character references for convicted sex offenders scrapped
Stormont’s justice minister wants to end the ability of convicted sex offenders to have character references presented in court before they are sentenced, saying the current system causes trauma to victims of abuse.
Naomi Long says she wants to “accelerate” plans to deal with the issue, which was previously scheduled for after the next Assembly election.
The Alliance leader’s comments come following controversy over a reference given to former teacher William Lloyd-Lavery, jailed over abuse of pupils at Belfast school in 1970s. The paedophile, aged 77, of Richmond Avenue, Lisburn, was handed a two-year sentence after being found guilty of indecently assaulting four girls.
He was provided with a character reference by David Campbell, a former UUP member and chairman, and more recently the chair of the Loyalist Communities Council. He said he provided “a brief, factual reference” also raised concerns about Mr Lloyd-Lavery’s health.
Mr Campbell has said it was never his intention to add to the hurt of the victims by doing so.
In a statement to the News Letter, the justice minister also says good character evidence on behalf of defendants during criminal trials “will need to be examined too”.
“I am determined to reform the use of good character references in certain categories of offending, particular domestic abuse and sexual crime. This will require careful policy development to ensure that any resultant legislation is compliant with ECHR rights, including the Article 6 rights of the defendant”, minister Long said.
She cited proposals in the Gillen Review that references are managed through improved judicial directions to jurors, better training for legal professionals and wider public education.
“I have included this issue for consideration as part of the Department’s Review of Sentencing Policy, with a view to legislating in the next mandate, but in light of recent events I am exploring options to accelerate work on this issue.
“In terms of sentence, it is an established principle that evidence of good character will not normally rank high in terms of mitigation for extremely serious offences.
“However, it is important to note that good character evidence on behalf of the defendant is not limited to the sentencing process and can play a part throughout a criminal trial. This will need to be examined too.
“In the meantime, I would urge everyone to exercise personal responsibility when it comes to providing character references for use by a court”.