SDLP Councillor Brian Tierney
Former mayor of Derry Brian Tierney last week apologised for the reference, which he later withdrew, and the SDLP described it as a “grave error of judgement”.
Kielan Mooney, 30, of Derry’s Bloomfield Park was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for raping a woman who was a fellow member of the Irish Defence Forces in a Dublin hotel.
In a fresh statement, Tierney said he had “made the very difficult decision to step aside as an SDLP councillor” after “reflecting on the situation over the past few days”.
It is unclear if he will remain on the council as an independent.
An SDLP spokesman said Tierney had resigned the SDLP whip on the council and his party membership has been suspended pending an “internal review of the wider situation”.
In a statement last week, Tierney said he was “not aware of the details of the charges” when he wrote the reference – and withdrew it when he realised.
In a new statement on Monday, the councillor 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.
“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.”
The SDLP said it welcomed the councillor’s decision “and his genuine desire to address the issues raised”.
“We are conducting a review around the provision of references,” it added.
“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.”
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