DUP South Down MLA Jim Wells has said that he feels “totally vindicated after the sentencing of Dorothy Elaine Dawn Gardner for the false allegations she made against him.”
Speaking after the sentencing in Downpatrick Courthouse on Thursday 25 August, he said: “My political career was destroyed as a result of totally false allegations made against me after an election hustings event held in Downpatrick on 23 April 2015.
“I was forced to resign as Health Minister, and over the last 16 months I have been subjected to a torrent of abuse based on these false allegations.
“At today’s hearing it was revealed that Ms Gardner had made her false statements to the Police because she wanted to ‘get Jim Wells’. She admitted that her allegations were totally false. She was not at the Downpatrick event and had therefore not heard any of my speech.
“If it had not been for the diligence of a senior PSNI detective I could have faced a very serious charge, and I am very grateful to that Detective Sergeant for his work on this case.
“The three month prison sentence (which was not suspended) was a clear indication of how seriously the court considered this crime and I would like to thank the judge for taking on board the huge damage and hurt these allegations caused me and my family.
“I must emphasise that Ms Gardner was not the only person who tried to destroy me after the Downpatrick event. There are at least three others who made similar allegations and I will not stop until they also face the courts”.
