‘Unwise’ for legal professionals to give character references, says NI’s top judge

It is “unwise” for members of the legal profession to give character references, the Lady Chief Justice has said.

Dame Siobhan Keegan said she intends to have her sentencing group look at character references amid concerns from victims that they have no opportunity to challenge them in court.

Earlier this year, the Law Society chief executive, David Lavery, provided a character reference for a cousin convicted of serious sexual offences.

On Tuesday members of the Law Society are expected to vote on whether they have confidence in Lavery.

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme, Dame Siobhan said she thinks there is a “discussion” to be had on character references.

“The law does not stipulate that a judge must take into account character references,” she said.

“But I know that character references do appear in cases. I think there’s a number of elements to this.

“It’s unwise for certain people to give character references to start with and I think that has come to pass in a number of circumstances.”

Reflecting on the use of character references, Dame Siobhan said the “transparency” of the process could be an issue for victims.

She added that “maybe we have to think about a better way of dealing with this issue”.