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.”
The Law Society of Northern Ireland did not immediately respond to a request to comment. However, in an earlier statement it said Lavery had “apologised sincerely and unreservedly” and “acknowledged that providing the reference was a serious error of judgement”.
The statement added: “He provided the reference because of a family relationship but accepts that he should have considered the impact character references in sexual offence cases can have on victims and survivors.”
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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