Jeffrey Dudgeon will be 'amazed' if Matthew Grech - trustee of Core Issues, run by Dr Mike Davidson - becomes first in world to be convicted of promoting gay conversion therapy in Malta trial

Mr Dudgeon, an historian and former Belfast City councillor, brought a landmark case to the European Court of Human Rights in 1981 to decriminalise homosexuality in the UK.

Now, he is speaking about the case of Matthew Grech, a singer and former contestant on Malta's X Factor, who will stand trial in Malta tomorrow on charges of promoting gay conversion therapy. In 2016 Malta became the first EU country to ban conversion therapy.A Maltese citizen, Mr Grech previously identified as gay, but now travels widely to speak about how he changed his identity since his conversion to Christianity. He denies ever having taken any form of therapy and the charges against him. If convicted, he could face five months in prison, and/or be fined 5,000 euros.

He gave an interview to Maltese med platform PMnews in 2022 in which he told his life story. Two presenters are also standing trial.

Mr Grech also serves as a trustee of Co Down Charity Core Issues, which is led by Dr Mike Davidson. It supports people in “leaving LGBT identities, behaviours, attractions and life choices”.

Mr Dudgeon told the News Letter he did not think Mr Grech will be found guilty.

"I would be amazed if Mr Grech is convicted," he said. "If he was, then he surely would have a case to go to the European Court at Strasbourg on freedom of expression (Article 10) and freedom of religion (Article 9 ) grounds, let alone the right to a private life (Article 8).

"This Maltese case could then be a groundbreaking first test of conversion therapy laws in Europe. However cases at Strasbourg take years, while the vast majority are knocked out early on procedural grounds.”

"The problems with such a [conversion therapy] law are exemplified in the London government's twists and turns on the matter and their failure to advance at pace to any legislative text."

"Scotland might move first and the UK Government would then have to assess if the law can stand or whether to block it as was decided over Nicola Sturgeon's Gender Recognition Reform Bill."

The UK promised to ban conversion therapy in 2018, but has made several U-turns under successive prime ministers.

Ahead of the hearing, Mr Grech, said: “My Christian journey of transformation, from being a practising homosexual interested in the occult and wanting to be a reiki master, to becoming a committed evangelical Christian, is one that should be told without fear of being criminalised.

“The law here in Malta on ‘conversion therapy’ is ideological... The aim of the approach is to intimidate any other viewpoints, especially Christian beliefs, into silence. They want to discourage people from speaking out or even thinking in a different way on these issues. These laws should have no place in any nation."

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the UK-based Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Mr Grech, said: "The domino effect of ‘conversion therapy’ bans began in Malta. If a precedent is set by this case in Malta, we will see similar cases in the UK unless robust action is taken."

In 2019 LGBT protesters held a demonstration outside a Belfast Presbyterian church at which Mr Grech was speaking. The church was showing a film about his life, 'Once Gay: Matthew And Friends'.

Outside the church, Rainbow Project spokesman John Doherty said they were protesting because, in their view, the event was sending out a message that it's not okay to be gay.

"That is a message which has cost lives in our community," Mr Doherty said. "It is a message that destroys families and destroys communities."

The Rainbow Project was invited to comment.