Gary Thompson: Former NIFRS head convicted of sex crimes and resigns from church position

Resigns from church position after pleading guilty to two counts of indecent assault

Former Fire Chief Gary Thompson

The former chief fire officer of Northern Ireland has stepped down from his church position after admitting two sex crimes.

Gary Thompson, who headed the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) from 2016 until he was suspended as a preventive measure in December 2018, initially denied a total of nine counts of indecently assaulting a woman, which allegedly took place between July 1, November 2006 and November 1 of the same year.