The chief executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland has been sacked as a Northern Ireland Human Rights Commissioner for providing a character reference for his cousin, who was jailed earlier this year for committing sexual offences against school pupils in the 1970s.
David Lavery’s removal as a member of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Sir Chris Bryant, followed an independent review which found that he had breached the commission’s code of governance.
The controversy arose when it emerged that Lavery had provided a reference for teacher William Lloyd-Lavery, who was jailed for two years on 28 April for indecently assaulting four girls at a Belfast school in the 1970s, having been found guilty in January of six counts of indecent assault.
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Office said Lavery’s appointment had been “terminated with immediate effect” after the review found that Lavery’s decision to provide a reference “was capable of bringing the commission into disrepute and demonstrated a severe failure of judgement regarding public office responsibilities”.
The spokesperson added: “The public rightly expects the highest standards of integrity and professionalism from those in public appointments.”
In a statement, Lavery said he was "disappointed to be leaving the commission after six years, but I accept and understand the decision that he [Bryant] has made".
He added: "I want to again apologise unreservedly for what I recognise was a serious error in judgement on my part in providing a character reference for my cousin and particularly for any hurt and distress that I caused the victims in this case. I profoundly regret that and I am committed to doing all I can to address it in the time ahead."
A spokesperson for the Law Society of Northern Ireland said: “The Law Society has undertaken an internal process in relation to this matter. This has now concluded and, respecting the confidential nature of that process, we will be making no further comment on the outcome.
“We acknowledge the concern that this has caused. We are committed to facilitating appropriate consideration of the use of character references following conviction, acknowledging that there will be a broad range of views.”
Previously, the society said it had asked its personnel committee “to oversee the development of a new protocol on senior officers providing personal or professional references”.
Lavery was first appointed to the NIHRC in August 2020 and was reappointed to serve a second three-year term in August 2023.
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