Catherine Morrison News NI
A survivor of clerical abuse is calling for the Justice Minister to end or limit the use of character references in court cases, particularly in relation to sexual offences against children.
Tony Gribben, who was abused by the Catholic priest Fr Malachy Finegan, highlighted a case where two Catholic priests gave character references to a man convicted of sexual offences against children.
The priests in the Diocese of Dromore provided the references in 2022. The family of one of the victims declined to speak publicly but are understood to have been “incensed” at the move.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said it is aiming to launch a planned review of sentencing issues this month.
‘Safeguarding failure’
Mr Gribben, is the founder of the Dromore Group, which represents survivors of clerical abuse.
He described the 2022 case in the Dromore diocese as a “safeguarding failure”, which he said was concerning because of the history of the abuse carried out there by Fr Finegan.
“I was surprised that the priests felt fit to provide references to a sentencing court in respect of a convicted paedophile, given that the Diocese in which they belonged had such a considerable history and a more recent history of paedophilia,” he said.
“I had thought that in terms of safeguarding promotion – which the Diocese prides itself on – that this issue might have been addressed inside some kind of safeguarding policy,” he said.
He said he raised the issue with Archbishop Eamon Martin, the Primate of All Ireland, and as a result, guidance was drawn up for clergy who are approached to give references in court proceedings.
A spokesperson for the Catholic Church said: “Some years ago the Archdiocese of Armagh, with the assistance of an abuse survivor, had prepared such guidance for clergy to help avoid hurt to victims/survivors of abuse and their families.
“In response to the survivors group, this guidance was provided in writing to the clergy of the Diocese of Dromore.”
It is also available on the Dromore diocesan website.
Mr Gribben is urging the Justice minister, Naomi Long, to deal with the issue of character references in the review of sentencing guidelines which is currently being carried out by her department.
‘Misled’ into giving reference for rapist
Ahead of the publication of its review of sentencing issues the Department of Justice said: “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, the Department would urge everyone to exercise personal responsibility when it comes to providing character references for use by a court.”
