Child abuse survivor calls on Law Society chief to quit over reference
A child abuse survivor, Nicola Bannon, has called for the chief executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland to resign after he provided a character reference for her abuser. David Lavery, the chief executive, has apologized for his actions, but Bannon believes he is no longer fit to lead the institution. The incident has sparked a wider conversation about the use of character references in court cases and the need for transparency and accountability in such situations.
- ▪Nicola Bannon was one of four women who were indecently assaulted by their former schoolteacher William Lloyd-Lavery in the 1970s.
- ▪David Lavery, the chief executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland, provided a character reference for his cousin, William Lloyd-Lavery, after his conviction.
- ▪Lavery was sacked from his role as a human rights commissioner, but remains in his position as chief executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland.
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| Original publisher | BBC News — UK |
| Canonical URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8dnrl89y3yo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss |
| Publication time | Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:47:08 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-08-05T08:50:47.441Z |
| Last seen | 2026-08-05T08:50:47.441Z |
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Child abuse survivor calls on Law Society chief to quit over referenceImage caption, Nicola Bannon was one of four women who were abused as schoolchildren by a paedophile teacherByEimear Flanagan and Lili Busby, BBC News NI Published3 minutes agoA survivor of child abuse has called on the chief executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland to resign after he provided a character reference for her abuser.Nicola Bannon was one of four women who were indecently assaulted by their former schoolteacher William Lloyd-Lavery at a Belfast school in the 1970s.Lloyd-Lavery's cousin, David Lavery, provided a character reference to a court after the former schoolteacher was convicted earlier this year.
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