Pressure on Cowen to hold referendum on children’s rights

PRESSURE mounted on Tánaiste Brian Cowen yesterday to bring forward the proposed referendum on children’s rights.

In the Dáil, Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton pressed the Tánaiste to act, but Mr Cowen said the constitutional amendment was still being considered by an all-party committee.

The pair clashed in a discussion on the Mr K case, where a 27-year-old man became the first person in the state to be found not guilty of sexual assault because of the legal defence of honest mistake.