Woman accused of false Wells comments has case adjourned

Woman accused of false Wells comments has case adjourned

6 April 2016

A COURT case against a woman charged with wasting police time in connection with the controversial resignation of the DUP’s Jim Wells as Health Minister has been adjourned.

The defendant, Dorothy Elaine Dawn Gardner (48), of Killycanavan Road, Dungannon, was not present for the first listing of the case at Downpatrick Courthouse on Thursday.

In the brief hearing, the defence was granted a four week adjournment for the preparation of medical reports.

Gardner, who has previously spoken publicly about her battle with terminal cancer, is alleged to have “caused wasteful employment of the police by knowingly making a false report or statement tending to show that an offence had been committed by Mr James Wells MLA”.

The offence is understood to be related to Mr Wells’ appearance at an election hustings event in Downpatrick last April.

Mr Wells resigned as Health Minister after remarks he made about gay marriage, but later claimed he had been widely misquoted at the hustings. 

A few days after the hustings event he was also involved in an altercation with a lesbian couple while canvassing in Rathfriland.

Police investigated both incidents but concluded there was no basis for a prosecution of Mr Wells.

Mr Wells was sitting outside the courtroom on Thursday and did not hear the two-minute proceedings.

The South Down MLA had wanted to make a statement to the court if the defendant had pleaded guilty and the case had gone ahead.

The case was adjourned until April 28.