When a Dublin firefighter was sentenced to at least seven years for raping a woman in a Boston hotel in 2024, Irish Times readers learned almost immediately that eight of his colleagues, three nurses, religious figures and a schoolteacher submitted character letters to a United States court in his favour.Journalists covering the Boston case had no difficulty accessing letters telling the court Terence Crosbie “would have been in line for a promotion” and that the offending was “completely out of character” and “utterly inconceivable”. Crosbie had pleaded not guilty.In this State, the submission of pre-sentencing character references for people convicted of crimes is a common practice.It was only at an appeal hearing last April, more than a year after Daniel Ramamoorthy was sentenced for sexually exploiting a teenage boy, that the public learnt many pre-sentencing character references had been submitted on his behalf, including one from a former TD. Judge John Edwards said it was “quite extraordinary” that not a “single one” of these letters mentioned the victim or the “vile nature” of the offending. The charge related to a request for the boy to send a picture of his penis. Ramamoorthy (40), with an address at Whitebarn Road, Rathfarnham, and also in Germany, had pleaded guilty to a separate charge of possessing child sexual abuse material, known in law as child pornography.Edwards’s comments led to significant public debate and speculation over the identity of the former politician. A couple of ex-TDs clarified they were not the one referenced before Fianna Fáil’s Jim Glennon, who represented the Dublin North constituency from 2002 to 2007, confirmed he had provided a reference for Ramamoorthy. The decision to do so was “naive” and “wrong”, he said in a statement offering an “unreserved apology to the victim and to their family”.But the contents of his and 22 others’ character references on behalf of Ramamoorthy remained sealed until this week, when The Irish Times successfully applied to the Court of Appeal for their release. The publication argued the constitutional guarantee that justice shall be administered in public required these references to be shared.[ The Irish Times view on character references: more transparency requiredOpens in new window ]Alongside Glennon’s were letters written by a wide range of individuals, including a representative of the Indian embassy in Dublin, a HSE project manager, a US-based cofounder of a global children’s charity, a pastor, an actor and a corporate marketing executive. His former diplomat father, mother and sister also filed letters attesting to his character.All of the writers said they were aware Ramamoorthy was, at the time of their writing, awaiting sentence for possession of child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child. But their testimonials paint a picture of a “unique, inspiring and loving” man who was a “true asset to society”. Kindness, generosity and integrity were descriptions of him that appeared again and again. Glennon described Ramamoorthy as a “friend” with a “remarkable and infectious energy”. In his March 2025 reference, he said he “simply couldn’t, and still can’t, reconcile the charges and now convictions with the friend for whom I had, and still have, so much respect”.A representative of the Embassy of India in Dublin wrote on headed paper that a record for Ramamoorthy would lead to visa denials, jeopardise his career and mean he cannot visit family who live on different continents.Ramamoorthy’s father, giving his name as D Ramamoorthy, said his son has always been the “joy and pride of our family”. The former diplomat said he and his wife have depended on their son financially since their retirements.HSE project manager Vivek Bhaskaran, with an address in Malahide, Dublin, said he has known Ramamoorthy to be a “decent and well-mannered person” who has “always shown kindness to others”.According to Angela Braswell Quinn, the cofounder of Give Hope Global, he had a “deep commitment to serving others and making a difference in the world”. Ramamoorthy’s treating psychiatrist, Dr Sony Mathews Lukose, based in Basildon, England, observed a “sense of remorse” and said he stands apart from many of his patients in his willingness to reflect on his behaviours.James Jacob McHaffie, a University College Dublin graduate and veterinarian in Seattle, Washington, said he would still consider Ramamoorthy to be “one of the best people” he ever met.Ramamoorthy’s lawyers last April argued before the Court of Appeal that his sentence of two years and four months was excessive and that the sentencing judge failed to give sufficient weight to his “exceptional background” and history of public service. The sentencing judge had noted it was rare to see character references of this calibre. Judge Patrick McCarthy, sitting with Edwards and Judge Tara Burns, said the appeal court knew from “bitter experience” that people held in the “highest regard” by society were capable of serious offending.The State’s legal team reminded the court that the teenage victim had described sleepless nights and suspicions about people’s motivations.Edwards said it was clear from the large number of testimonials that Ramamoorthy has “done much good in his life”. However, refusing to reduce the sentence, the judge said evidence of previous “pro-social” living could carry “only modest weight” in mitigation for sentencing in the absence of an offender accepting his wrongdoing.