‘I am married to a good and decent man’

DARINA Allen stood by her beleaguered husband yesterday, declaring that she still loved him despite his conviction for the possession of child pornography.

“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. You can love the sinner without loving the sin,” Mrs Allen said.

Speaking from the celebrity couple’s world-famous cookery school in Ballymaloe, where she and her husband Tim were working yesterday, Mrs Allen admitted she and her family had gone through months of trauma.

However, she stressed her continuing support for Tim, who received a nine-month jail sentence on Thursday, suspended on condition he does 240 hours community service and pays €40,000 to a charity for homeless children in India.

Yesterday, it was business as usual at the east Cork school, where hosts of international cookery students regularly attend.

“We are totally committed to running our business and looking after our students and customers as we’ve always done,” Mrs Allen said.

She said both she and her 52-year-old husband, to whom she has been married for 32 years, were deeply grateful for all the support shown to them since word of her husband’s activities broke.

“We are so grateful for all the support, exceptional and unconditional support from family and staff, our neighbours and many friends.

“This is what has kept us going through this difficult time since last May. It’s our intention now to get on with our lives. We hope to be given the opportunity and space to get on with our lives.”

Speaking of her husband’s child porn conviction, Mrs Allen said:

“At some stage in everyone’s lives, people do things that they would rather not have done.

“Of course we don’t condone what has happened. Let those without sin cast the first stone. You can love the sinner without loving the sin.”

A spokesman for Ballymaloe Cookery School said that the Allen family (there are four children) and staff were deeply distressed at what he described as the misinterpretation of yesterday’s hearing in Midleton.

“The fact of the matter is that the judge accepted jurisdiction of the case because only 92 images were admitted in evidence. It has been reported that there were 1,000 issues in the possession of Mr Allen. This is simply not true,” the spokesman said.

At present, 57 students of 11 different nationalities are taking part in the 12-week cookery course at the school.

Both the school and Ballymaloe House employ a total of 200 people locally.