'A huge error of judgement on my part' : Derry Councillor Brian Tierney gave reference for soldier later jailed for rape

Councillor Tierney confirmed he had initially provided a reference for Kielan Mooney prior to his conviction.

A former soldier in the Irish army, Mooney from Bloomfield Park in Derry, was jailed recently for eight and a half years for raping a woman.

It is understood the character reference provided by Mr Tierney was later withdrawn.

Councillor Tierney said: “It was a huge error of judgement on my part to issue this personal statement and something I profoundly regret. I was not aware of the details of the charges when I wrote it, following representations on the defendant’s behalf, which did not reflect the seriousness of this case.

“I withdrew the statement when I became aware of the nature of the charges but accept it was a serious failing on my part not to establish the details before writing the statement.

“I offer sincere apologies to the victim in this awful case and anyone who has been affected by my actions. I will do everything possible to learn from this experience going forward,” the Ballyarnett representative, who sits of Derry CIty & Strabane District Council, added.

An SDLP spokesperson meanwhile said: “Councillor Tierney’s actions were entirely wrong and he has accepted he made a grave error of judgement. There is no excuse for giving a character reference for any case involving a crime of this nature.

“The SDLP supports the removal of the use of character references in courts, particularly in cases involving gender-based violence. The views of individuals have no place in determining the outcome of a criminal case.”

The SDLP said that following this incident, the party will be carrying out a review and issuing guidance on representations and references to all elected representatives “so that they understand the challenges that victims face in getting justice in cases of gender-based violence and the traumatising impact these references can have”.

"We will be making every effort to ensure there is no repeat of this in future,” the SDLP spokesperson said.