Northern Ireland

Former lecturer jailed for child sex offences lost religious discrimination case against university

Patrick McWilliams appearing on Who Do You Think You Are? Picture by BBC
Patrick McWilliams appearing on Who Do You Think You Are? Picture by BBC Patrick McWilliams appearing on Who Do You Think You Are? Picture by BBC

A former university lecturer jailed for child sex offences had previously taken a religious discrimination case when he failed to secure a senior post.

Patrick McWilliams (56), formerly of Oldpark Road in Belfast, was this week jailed for three years after pleading guilty to attempting to meet a 12-year-old girl in England for sexual purposes.

The former Queen's University Belfast employee also admitted inciting sexual activity with a child and possessing child abuse images.

He was arrested at Belfast City Airport last year after boarding a flight to Leeds, where he told police he was travelling to a snooker tournament.

The National Crime Agency had been gathering evidence over three months in 2018.

An officer working as a decoy engaged with McWilliams when he joined a chat forum on an adult website.

While working at Queen's in 2003, McWilliams told a fair employment tribunal that he had been discriminated against when he failed to be appointed to the position of publications manager three years earlier.

He began working at the university in 1988. He was also president of the Queen's snooker club.

McWilliams told the tribunal that he was discriminated against, even though two men on the interviewing panel were of the same religion.

He lost the case when the tribunal unanimously ruled that the successful candidate was best suited.

As well as the jail term, McWilliams will also serve three years on licence on his release and will be on the sex offenders register for the remainder of his life.