UUP leader calls for Law Society chief to step down over character reference
UUP leader Jon Burrows has called for the chief executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland to resign after providing a character reference for a man convicted of historical sexual offences.
He was speaking after abuse survivor Nicola Bannon, one of four women indecently assaulted by their former schoolteacher William Lloyd-Lavery at a Belfast school, urged David Lavery to step down after providing the reference for his cousin.
Lloyd-Lavery, 77, of Richmond Avenue in Lisburn, who went on to work for a number of UUP MLAs, was sentenced to two years in prison after being found guilty of six counts of indecent assault at a school he taught at in the 1970s.
Former Ulster Unionist Party chairman David Campbell also provided a good character reference for Lloyd-Lavery, which sparked questions over the practice.
On Thursday Mr Burrows said he has written to Mr Lavery urging him to resign.
“Victims must come first,” he said.
“Today I wrote to the chief executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland urging him to resign.
“Confidence in the legal profession has been damaged and accountability is now required.
“I called for this in the Assembly in June.”
Earlier this week Mr Lavery was removed from his role as a human rights commissioner by Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant.
On Wednesday Law Society president Mark Borland said in a statement that he is “deeply sorry if the society has in any way compounded their pain”, adding it has conducted an internal process.
“I profoundly regret the distress and trauma that this has caused for her and for the other victims of William Lloyd Lavery. I am deeply sorry if the society has in any way compounded their pain,” he said.
“The Law Society has conducted an internal process and for reasons of confidentiality we are limited in what we can say publicly.
“I know that will be disappointing but I want to assure Nicola and other victims that we hear them, we are listening to their concerns and experiences and we are committed to ensuring that their voice is heard in the public debate about the use of character references following conviction.
“We will take steps immediately to convene that discussion with our members and we will seek to include the voices of victims and survivors including, if they felt appropriate, the victims in this case.
“We recognise the impact these matters have had and we are committed to doing all we can to support the victims in any way possible.”