SEX OFFENDER DAVY HALL SET TO LEAD WALKING TOURS IN ANTRIM, NORTHERN IRELAND
In March 2016, it was reported that Davy Hall, a convicted sex offender, is conducting council-sponsored walking tours in Antrim town centre.Hall, 46, was convicted a decade earlier of indecently assaulting a schoolgirl during a formal event.
Despite his criminal past, he has been pictured with local politician Nigel Kells, a DUP councillor and Junior Minister Emma Pengelly’s election campaign manager, who has endorsed these tours on social media.
Cllr Kells told Sunday Life, “I know Davy, as we go to the same church.
I also knew he had been sacked from his job as a teacher, but I didn’t know why.
I’ve only lived in Antrim eight years.” Hall’s offending incident involved groping his victim at a dinner dance held at a Templepatrick Hotel.
Following his court appearance, he was dismissed from his position as a history teacher at Parkhall College and was expelled from both the Ulster Unionist Party and the Orange Order.
A history enthusiast, Hall recently began offering £5-per-person educational tours around Antrim, highlighting sites related to the 1798 United Irishmen rebellion.
He asserts that these walks are fully supported by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, a claim strengthened by their promotion of his tours during the Market in the Square event scheduled for March 19.
Several local councillors have also shared social media posts endorsing the tours.
Hall stated, “Of course the council know about my background, and it has accepted that I’ve moved on,” adding, “The incident I was involved in occurred 14 years ago.
I’ve paid the price.
I lost my job and my career.
I’m trying my best to move on.” He has organized multiple Saturday morning tours planned throughout March.
Commenting on his Facebook post about participating in the council event, he said, “Delighted to have been invited by my local council to have my tour marketed as part of this event.” However, residents of Antrim, who alerted Sunday Life to Hall’s tours, have expressed displeasure regarding the local council’s endorsement of him, raising concerns about the appropriateness of his involvement in public events.
