A FORMER MAYOR of Derry who provided a character reference for a member of the Irish Defence Forces who was later jailed for rape has announced that he will “step aside as an SDLP councillor”. 

Brian Tierney apologised last week for providing the reference, telling BBC News Northern Ireland that it was “a huge error of judgement” and that he was not aware of the details of the charges when he wrote it.

Kielan Mooney (30), of Bloomfield Park, Derry, was last week jailed for eight-and-a-half years for the rape of a fellow member of the Irish Defence Forces at a Dublin hotel on 26 July 2021.

Kielan Mooney (30) of Bloomfield Park, Derry was jailed for eight-and-a-half years last week. irishphotodesk.ie irishphotodesk.ie

In a statement today, Tierney said: “After reflecting on the situation over the past few days I have made the very difficult decision to step aside as an SDLP councillor.

“Although the situation was misrepresented to me, I deeply regret the harm caused to the victim and everyone else affected in my giving of a character reference,” he said.

“The SDLP has played a huge role in my life from a very young age and the vision and values of the party remain core to me. I will be doing everything possible to make up for the damage caused and to demonstrate genuine remorse for my actions.”

A spokesperson for the SDLP said: “We welcome Brian’s decision and his genuine desire to address the issues raised by the issuing of this character reference and his actions to reach out to those affected by this.”

The spokesperson said the party is conducting a review around the provision of references. 

“Tackling violence against women and girls remains a key priority for the SDLP and our thoughts are with the victim at the centre of this case.”