diff --git a/codan/org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers/plugin.xml b/codan/org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers/plugin.xml
index e2dac3e0d3a..dde64b6e931 100644
--- a/codan/org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers/plugin.xml
+++ b/codan/org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers/plugin.xml
@@ -40,5 +40,18 @@
             name="Class has a virtual method and non-virtual destructor">
       </problem>
       </checker>
+
+      <checker
+            class="org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers.sample.CatchUsesReference"
+            id="org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers.sample.CatchUsesReference"
+            name="CatchUsesReferenceChecker">
+      <problem
+            category="org.eclipse.cdt.codan.core.categories.ProgrammingProblems"
+            defaultSeverity="Warning"
+            id="org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers.sample.CatchUsesReference"
+            name="Catch uses reference to exception">
+      </problem>
+      </checker>
+
    </extension>
 </plugin>
diff --git a/codan/org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers/src/org/eclipse/cdt/codan/checkers/sample/CatchUsesReference.java b/codan/org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers/src/org/eclipse/cdt/codan/checkers/sample/CatchUsesReference.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d1ad9aae1a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/codan/org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers/src/org/eclipse/cdt/codan/checkers/sample/CatchUsesReference.java
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+ * Copyright (c) 2009 Alena Laskavaia 
+ * All rights reserved. This program and the accompanying materials
+ * are made available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0
+ * which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
+ * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
+ *
+ * Contributors:
+ *    Alena Laskavaia  - initial API and implementation
+ *******************************************************************************/ 
+
+package org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers.sample;
+
+import org.eclipse.cdt.codan.core.model.AbstractIndexAstChecker;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.ASTVisitor;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.IASTDeclaration;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.IASTDeclarator;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.IASTPointerOperator;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.IASTSimpleDeclaration;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.IASTStatement;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.IASTTranslationUnit;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.cpp.ICPPASTCatchHandler;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.cpp.ICPPASTReferenceOperator;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.core.dom.ast.cpp.ICPPASTTryBlockStatement;
+
+/**
+ * @author Alena
+ *
+ */
+public class CatchUsesReference extends AbstractIndexAstChecker {
+	private static final String ER_ID = "org.eclipse.cdt.codan.checkers.sample.CatchUsesReference";
+
+	public void processAst(IASTTranslationUnit ast) {
+		// traverse the ast using the visitor pattern.
+		ast.accept(new OnCatch());
+	}
+	
+	class OnCatch extends ASTVisitor {
+		OnCatch() {
+			shouldVisitStatements = true;
+		}
+		public int visit(IASTStatement stmt) {
+			if (stmt instanceof ICPPASTTryBlockStatement) {
+				ICPPASTTryBlockStatement tblock = (ICPPASTTryBlockStatement) stmt;
+				ICPPASTCatchHandler[] catchHandlers = tblock.getCatchHandlers();
+				for (int i = 0; i < catchHandlers.length; i++) {
+					ICPPASTCatchHandler catchHandler = catchHandlers[i];
+					if (usesReference(catchHandler)) {
+						reportProblem(ER_ID, catchHandler, "Catch clause uses reference in declaration of exception");
+					}
+				}
+		
+				return PROCESS_SKIP;
+			}
+			return PROCESS_CONTINUE;
+		}
+		/**
+		 * @param catchHandler
+		 * @return
+		 */
+		private boolean usesReference(ICPPASTCatchHandler catchHandler) {
+			IASTDeclaration declaration = catchHandler.getDeclaration();
+			if (declaration instanceof IASTSimpleDeclaration) {
+				IASTDeclarator[] declarators = ((IASTSimpleDeclaration) declaration).getDeclarators();
+				for (int i = 0; i < declarators.length; i++) {
+					IASTDeclarator d = declarators[i];
+					IASTPointerOperator[] pointerOperators = d.getPointerOperators();
+					for (int j = 0; j < pointerOperators.length; j++) {
+						IASTPointerOperator po = pointerOperators[j];
+						if (po instanceof ICPPASTReferenceOperator) {
+							return true;
+						}
+						
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			return false;
+		}
+	}
+	
+
+}