Political editor of Ireland del Norte
BBCThe Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP) has restored a councilor who provided a judicial reference for an Irish soldier later convicted of rape.
Brian Tierney, who sits on the Distry City and Strabane district council, was suspended by the SDLP and lost the whip of the party after details of the reference arose earlier this year.
He apologized and withdrew Kiean Moeney’s reference from Derry, who was imprisoned for eight and a half years to violate the woman who was also in the Irish army.
After its suspension, the SDLP launched an investigation that now concluded with the restoration of Tierney.
A spokesman for the SDLP party believes in the “legitimacy of remorse and restitution” and that is why he has the decision to restore Tierney’s membership.
“We recognize the deep damage caused by the issuance of a reference of character for Kielan Moeney and we recognize that Councilor Tierney was deceived by the nature of the crime, that apology and the participation with the abuse of the fulses bones where the complicates were Fuls Fuls Fuls Fulsi Fulses Fulses were complete? Fuls were flesses where the flesses were flesses where the flesses were flesses where the flesses were flesses. Fuls were flesses if Fuls were flesses where the flesses were flesses were Fuls.
Paddy Cummins“Character references in the legal system have worked against victims and survivors of sexual violence and SDLP are actively working so that the issue is prohibited in cases of this nature.”
The party has now ordered its elected representatives to avoid providing references of where accusations of violence or sexual crimes are involved.
He has also introduced mandatory training for all his politicians around the barriers faced by women in the justice system.
