NI judges given training and guidance after 'find a wife' remark

The North of Ireland's judiciary is to receive further guidance and training after a judge suggested a convicted sex offender should "find a wife", the lady chief justice has said.

    Dame Siobhan Keegan said she had             spoken to the judge about his                 comments to a convicted sex offender.            IMAGE SOURCE, PACEMAKER 

Dame Siobhan Keegan said the comments by Judge Brian Sherrard KC had "caused legitimate concern".

Judge Sherrard made the remarks during the sentencing of Cathal Patrick Feeney (pictured below), 35, from Main Street in Beragh.

      Cathal Patrick Feeney (34), Main                                Street, Beragh 

He was handed a prison sentence and placed on the sex offenders' register.

The lady chief justice was responding to a letter sent by DUP assembly member Diane Forsythe, who said the judge's remarks last Friday raised serious concern.

Feeney had originally been charged with raping a woman during a second date in March 2020, before accepting a lesser charge of sexual assault.

The court heard he had met his victim online, the Belfast Telegraph reported.

During the trial at Dungannon Crown Court, it also emerged that eight women, including Feeney's mother and grandmother, had taken non-molestation orders against him.

In sentencing the defendant, who a police officer had described as being "considered dangerous to females", Judge Sherrard said Feeney should not be banned from contacting women online.

He did not want him to be "excluded from normal life", the judge explained, adding that the online contact was not problematic, "but rather the behaviour afterwards".

"You are still a young man," he said.

"There's nothing that will stop you moving on with your life in a more productive way, finding work or finding a wife or partner, getting a family and a home."

       Diane Forsythe said the judge's                  comments had prompted serious                                   concern 

Writing to the lady chief justice, Ms Forsythe asked that she reflect on what had been said by the judge "in the context of wider efforts in the justice system to help those ensnared in abusive relationships".

Women's Aid in Northern Ireland had also condemned the comments by Judge Sherrard as "incredibly problematic" and "horrifying".

It showed "the judge did not understand the risk this man is to women, given his well-documented history", the organisation continued.

In her response to Ms Forsythe, Dame Siobhan said she had "provided advice and guidance to the judge in relation to these matters".

"In light of the importance of this issuee generally I have also arranged for further guidance and training for all the judiciary, to address these concerns," she added.

Speaking to BBC News NI, Ms Forsythe said she welcomed the lady chief justice's reply.

"She has looked into it, she's taken action and she's really committed to rolling out training throughout the judiciary to improve the awareness, the response and the reaction within the system to these kind of issues."

With many thanks to: BBC News NI for the original story. 

Follow these links to find out more on this story: NI judges given training and guidance after 'find a wife' remark

Judge urges Co Tyrone sex offender to find wife and start a family

Judge urges Co Tyrone sex offender to find wife and start a family

'Drunken bully’ assaulted woman in her own home after date

     Cathal Patrick Feeney at a previous                        court appearance 

                 October 11th, 2022. 

A judge has encouraged a prolific offender who sexually attacked a woman he met through a dating website to “find a wife or partner and get a family and a home together”.

Cathal Patrick Feeney (36), from Main Street in Beragh, first appeared in court over two years ago, originally charged with raping the victim in her home.

On being returned for trial at Dungannon Crown Court, the defendant, who the police described as “dangerous to females”, went on to accept a lesser sexual assault charge.

He and the victim met through the Plenty of Fish site, and had a night out without incident.

On a second date over dinner at a hotel on March 7, 2020, the woman became uncomfortable, describing Feeney as “paranoid and argumentative”.

She went home, but within minutes of entering her house, he arrived at the door.

She agreed to let him in but warned there would be “no funny business”. However, Feeney sexually assaulted her, paying no attention when she cried out.

The victim fled, but he followed her and said: “It’ll be alright. We’ll talk in the morning.”

When arrested, he insisted he had been at a different address.

Bail was previously refused after a police officer said Feeney was “considered dangerous to females”. “He has 67 previous offences, some of which are domestic in nature. He is managed by a specialist unit as a violent offender,” they added.

At the most recent hearing, Judge Brian Sherrard KC noted the victim remained extremely traumatised and, “in her own words, isn’t the woman she was”.

The court was told eight women, including his mother and grandmother, had taken non-molestation orders against Feeney. He also has convictions for assaults and breaches of court orders, with the majority of his offending occurring while intoxicated. Judge Sherrard said this marked him “as a belligerent, drunken thug, a bully and a nuisance”.

He told him: “Your relationship with alcohol is extremely problematic. You struggle to recognise the import of what occurred and you pose a high risk of reoffending.”

A probation officer said Feeney should be considered dangerous, but Judge Sherrard felt the threshold wasn’t met, and while accepting his offending has escalated, it was the first sexual offence.

It was noted Feeney received support from prison chaplain Fr Michael Bingham who, although recently passed away, found “the character image of the defendant being a menace to vulnerable women is one I find hard to reconcile given his moral sensibilities”.

Feeney was sentenced to four-and-half-years in prison — the bulk of which has been served on remand — and handed a seven-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

However, the judge declined to ban Feeney from contacting women through the internet because he did not “want him excluded from normal life”.

“It’s not the online contact which proved problematic but rather the behaviour afterwards,” he said.

Sex offender registration was ordered indefinitely.

Concluding, Judge Sherrard told Feeney: “You are still a young man. There’s nothing that will stop you moving on with your life in a more productive way, finding work or finding a wife or partner, getting a family and a home.

“The order imposed is the lightest touch I can afford.”

With many thanks to the: Belfast Telegraph and Staff Reporter for the original story. 

Follow this link to find out more on this story: NI judges given training and guidance after 'find a wife' remark

Dame Siobhan Keegan said she had spoken to the judge about his comments to a convicted sex offender