Matthew Grech trial in Malta: Consultant for Northern Ireland charity 'not guilty' in first EU trial on gay conversation therapy
A consultant with a Northern Ireland charity has been found not guilty of promoting gay conversion therapy in the first prosecution of its kind in the EU.
Ex-gay man Matthew Grech, a Maltese national, was charged after an interview on Maltese radio in 2022 where he spoke about transforming from homosexual to heterosexual.
He is a full-time consultant for NI charity Core Issues, a Christian organisation which offers counselling on sexual identity issues.
In Malta this week, magistrate Monica Vella concluded that Maltese law forbids enforced conversion therapy but does not prohibit voluntary talking therapy.
The not guilty finding may have significant legal ramifications, as it was the first such prosecution in the EU.
Members of the Malta Gay Rights Movement reported Mr Grech and two journalists hosting the programme to police.
Mr Grech told the court his experience “was not one of therapy but a spiritual one”, the Times of Malta reported.
He condemned all forms of forced therapy but by contrast praised “talk therapy”.
The magistrate acknowledged that while promoting conversion therapy is a crime in Malta, the court “has great difficulty in considering as a criminal offence a rational discussion that takes place not only on this particular subject but on any subject whatsoever”.
She also argued that the law applies to everyone regardless of gender identity and did not exist solely for the protection of the LGBT community.
She added that while the law bans forced conversion therapy, it specifically excludes any service or intervention related to the exploration and free development of a person.
The law does not prohibit therapy services as long as they lead to an individual finding the sexual orientation they feel most comfortable with “in order to find their inner peace”.
“Consequently, provided that no service or therapy is imposed on a person, such a service cannot be considered a crime.”
As a result the magistrate found all three accused individuals not guilty.
Speaking afterwards, Mr Grech said he was “never guilty of anything except speaking openly about my own life, about my spiritual journey to becoming a Christian, and the profound difference and freedom that my faith has made in every aspect of who I am”.
He believes the prosecution was “politically motivated” and that it exposed “the danger of loosely worded criminal laws”.
Speaking of his 17 court hearings over three years, he said that “the process itself became the punishment” and caused major emotional, reputational and financial costs.
He also argued that his constitutional rights were compromised, including his right to “a fair and efficient trial”.
Co Down man Dr Mike Davidson, CEO of Core Issues, said: “We are relieved that the court has provided clarity in this case. At its heart was a simple but vital principle – that individuals must be free to speak about their own lived experience without fear of criminal sanction."
The UK charity Christian Concern, which backed Mr Grech, said that the verdict is “of international significance” as Malta became the first EU country to ban conversion therapy. The UK and Australia have used Maltese legislation as a blueprint for similar bans, it added.
The Rainbow Project and Alliance Party, which has proposed similar legislation for NI, were invited to comment.