Celebrity chef Darina Allen has defended her decision to stand by her husband following his conviction for possession of child pornography. "You can love the sinner without loving the sin," she said yesterday.
Ms Allen, back at work with her husband instructing students on a 12-week course at their internationally known Ballymaloe Cookery School at Shanagarry, Co Cork, said: "I've been married to Tim for 32 years and I absolutely still love him. I am married to a good and decent and honourable man."
She said her family had gone through a terrible nightmare since her husband's arrest last May.
Allen (52) was ordered to carry out 240 hours of community service and pay €40,000 to a charity working with street children in Calcutta when he appeared before Midleton District Court on Thursday.
"At some stage in everyone's lives, people do things that they would rather not have done," Ms Allen said. "Of course we don't condone what happened. Let those without sin cast the first stone," she told the Evening Echo.
She added: "We hope to be given the opportunity and space to get n with our lives," and she thanked all who had supported the family.
Meanwhile in Mexico last night, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said the Government would keep child pornography legislation "under continual review".
Mr Ahern said: "It would not be proper for me to comment on an individual sentence, but I am pleased that very quickly the gardaí and the justice agencies have both acted on the appalling circumstances where people are using the Internet to get into this kind of stuff."