Flanagan: Reference 'was neither inappropriate or unusual'

Fine Gael TD Charlie Flanagan provided a character reference for an Offaly nurse who was today sentenced at Brisbane District Court to two and a half years for the rape of another woman.

Anne Marie O’Loughlin (25), from Offaly, was convicted in December 2010 on two counts of digital rape and one of deprivation of liberty at the Caxton Hotel, near Brisbane CBD, on November 29, 2009. She was today sentenced to two and a half years.

Mr Flanagan has previously questioned Ireland’s low rape conviction rates in the Dáil.

Mr Flanagan confirmed to the Echo that he was aware of the nature of the case, when writing the reference.

He said had provided the reference “as a member of the Dáil and as somebody who knows the family for many years.

“This was a reference that I provided for somebody I knew, after the court’s conviction. I don’t see any matter of interference. It was an open court, an open matter,” said Mr Flanagan.

Mr Flanagan told the Echo that he would not have a problem doing the same in future for a person before Ireland’s courts.

He said he had no problem with elected officials providing character references for people before the courts.

“I put on the record the fact that I had known this girl and her family for many years. I made no reference to the facts. It was a character reference, nothing more, nothing less,” said Mr Flanagan.

“It was a matter of sentence only. The conviction had been recorded. I provided a character reference for somebody I know and have known for some time. There was no attempt to influence the process because the conviction had already been recorded.”

Mr Flanagan said that providing the reference “was neither inappropriate or unusual.”

Mr Flanagan is a former Fine Gael spokesperson for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and is currently the party’s frontbench spokesperson on Children.

In February 2010 Mr Flanagan called for the resignation of Trevor Sargent after the Green Party politician had written a letter to Gardaí about a case involving a constituent.