A UUP candidate has been criticised by Women's Aid for giving a court reference for a man jailed for battering his ex-wife.
Brian Kerr, who has been picked to stand for the party in May's council elections, said his letter about Thompson Beckett's community work gave "statements of facts, not statements of support".
The letter was referenced in court when Beckett, 44, was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting a string of violent assaults on his ex-wife.
