LONDON (ENGLAND)
Premier
February 25, 2019
The former head of GCHQ resigned his post after it emerged he gave a character reference in support of a paedophile priest who went on to reoffend, it has been reported.
Robert Hannigan stood down as director of the spy agency in 2017 after less than three years in the post, citing “family reasons”.
The Mail on Sunday reports his departure followed the discovery that in 2013 he had given a character reference on behalf of a Catholic priest charged with possessing child pornography.
The priest, who was said to have been a long-standing family friend of Mr Hannigan, was given a non-custodial sentence and went on to offend again, the paper said.
Mr Hannigan’s involvement in the case was said to have been discovered during a major investigation into online chatrooms by the National Crime Agency.
Mr Hannigan told the Mail the priest had been a “close family friend” for 20 years and they had submitted a character reference to the court “in good faith” after he pleaded guilty to the offences.
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