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A survivor of clerical abuse has spoken out, urging the Justice Minister to either end or restrict the use of character references in court cases involving sexual offences against children. Tony Gribben, who himself was abused by Catholic priest Fr Malachy Finegan, emphasized concerns surrounding a particular 2022 case in the Diocese of Dromore. In this instance, two Catholic priests provided character references for a man convicted of sexual offences against children, which deeply upset the victim’s family, who chose not to comment publicly but were reportedly “incensed” by the priests’ actions.
Tony Gribben, founder of the Dromore Group representing survivors of clerical abuse, described this occurrence as a “safeguarding failure,” especially significant given the diocese’s history of abuse linked to Fr Finegan. He questioned why clergy from a diocese with such a background would offer support to a convicted paedophile during sentencing. “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,” Gribben stated. He added that he expected safeguarding policies within the diocese to have addressed this issue by now.
In response to the concerns raised by Gribben and others, the Catholic Church clarified that guidance on providing character references had been developed some years ago by the Archdiocese of Armagh, with input from an abuse survivor. This guidance aims to prevent further harm to victims and their families. The Archdiocese made these instructions available to the clergy in the Diocese of Dromore and has posted them online for wider accessibility. Meanwhile, Gribben is pressing Justice Minister Naomi Long to confront the matter as part of her department’s ongoing review of sentencing guidelines.
The Department of Justice, preparing to release its review on sentencing matters, highlighted that good character evidence does not exclusively pertain to the sentencing phase but can influence various parts of a criminal trial. The department indicated that this broader context would be considered during the review. They also encouraged individuals to assume “personal responsibility” when offering character references for court use, reflecting sensitivity about the impact such references can have
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