THE father of a boy branded ‘absolute scum’ by a magistrate has backed the JP and said: “I totally agree with what he said.”

Magistrate Austin Molloy said he was 'very encouraged' by the support, but he has received a further blow after court officials revealed he was under investigation.

They said Mr Molloy would remain 'relieved of his duties' as chairman of the bench until the inquiry was complete.

The 57-year-old magistrate made the remark while sentencing two boys for desecrating Blackburn Cathedral.

Court clerk Christine Dean challenged his 'inappropriate language', and he found out he could not sit as chairman when he turned up for work the next day last Friday.

The case has prompted a storm of protest at Mr Molloy's treatment.

The Mayor of Darwen, Councillor Paul Browne, called the decision to relieve him of his duties 'pathetic', while Coun Michael Lee, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, also defended Mr Malloy.

More a thousand people have joined a group supporting him on social networking site Facebook.

And now the father of one of the boys, who along with his son cannot be named for legal reasons, has given his full support to the magistrate of 18 years.

The boy's father said: “I totally agree with what Mr Malloy said and I've not got a problem with him whatsoever.

"I back Mr Malloy 100 per cent.

“As far as I am concerned Mr Malloy should get his job back.

“The whole family is absolutely disgusted with what he has done and he knows we are disgusted."

The case has prompted a strong reaction, some of which has angered the dad and his family.

He said: "Some of the comments people are making about us as parents are out of order.

“I've worked my whole life and my son was brought up as a Catholic boy going to church, so why he has done what he has done, I don't know.

“I am going to have to pay his fine, so all these people saying we are on a free ride are wrong. I'm not on a free ride and I've been fined for something I didn't do.

“But he is not going to get away with it and he will be punished.”

His son, known as Boy A, was given an 18-month supervision order and ordered to pay £1,500 compensation costs, while Boy B was given a 12-month supervision order and ordered to pay £100.

The mother of Boy B said she would be making an official complaint, but Boy A's father said he would not follow suit.

He said: “There will certainly be no complaint from me.

“He has been a stupid boy.

"My family are church-going people who just can't understand why he did it.

"We have no idea, but he has done it and I am not going to make excuses for him because he doesn't deserve for them to be made for him."

Mr Malloy told the teens, who had written racist and sexually abusive words in prayer books and damaged a priceless John the Baptist cross, that: “Normal people would consider you absolute scum.”

He said his fellow magistrates had agreed with the use of the language, but the clerk challenged him in open court.

Mr Molloy, an engineering company director, said: “I am obviously very encouraged by the support given by this man.”

More than 900 people have now joined the Austin Molloy Magistrate Support Group! on the social networking website Facebook, with many calling for his reinstatement and the sacking of the clerk.

A Judicial Communications Office spokesman said Mr Malloy had not been suspended, but an investigation into the incident had been launched.

She said: “In the meantime, Mr Molloy has agreed not to act as a bench chairman, though he will continue to sit as a magistrate.”

However, Mr Malloy said he was under the impression that had only applied on Friday.

He said: “I don't want to make any further comment at the moment because I think discussions will be forthcoming.

“There will be further discussions hopefully today or tomorrow.”

Sid Brighton, chief executive of the Justices’ Clerks Society, described the case as 'unusual' and suggested the clerk should have asked the bench to retire and spoken to Mr Malloy privately.

Click on the related links below for our previous coverage of the story which has caused a storm across the country.