James McKeever: Ex-SDLP councillor loses sex abuse appeal

McKeever was found guilty last year of eight offences against a young girl spanning a seven-year period

A former SDLP deputy mayor of Derry City and Strabane has lost an appeal against his conviction for sexually abusing a girl in the 1980s.

James McKeever, 65, is serving a four-year sentence for eight offences between August 1981 and December 1988.

His victim was aged between seven and 14 at the time of the abuse.

He was found guilty in May last year and the Court of Appeal in Belfast upheld his conviction on Tuesday.

McKeever has been expelled from the SDLP since his conviction.

The Court of Appeal dismissed his claims that evidence from a childhood friend of the victim was wrongly admitted at his trial.

The witness, known only as AB, had made a statement to police that the victim disclosed the sexual abuse to her during their childhood.

She could not remember their exact age at the time, but said it was around the time that advertisements for the Childline telephone support service were on television.

Defence lawyers argued that hearsay evidence should not have featured at the trial.

Rejecting the appeal, Lord Justice Treacy said her evidence would assist the jury in finding out the truth.

Another aspect of McKeever's appeal was an anonymous media interview given by his victim, after his conviction, in which she stated that she had "always hated him".

He claimed that it disclosed a possible motive for making false allegations, contrary to evidence given at trial, and about which she should have been cross-examined.

The Court Of Appeal found nothing in the interview to suggest she had any pre-existing animosity towards McKeever before the period of abuse.

"We entertain no doubt about the safety of the convictions and dismiss the appeal," Lord Justice Treacy said.