<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3mE0n0_0w7rN5Sh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3mE0n0_0w7rN5Sh00" width="1536" height="864" ><figcaption>Former Sinn Féin press officer Michael McMonagle is one of those at the centre of the party scandal [Credit: BBC] </figcaption></figure> Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has come under pressure over her party's handing of recent safeguarding issues. The controversy was sparked after it was revealed that two Sinn Féin press officers gave references for a former colleague, Michael McMonagle, who was later convicted of child sex offences. Further revelations have emerged about a former Lord Mayor of Belfast, Niall Ó Donnghaile, who sent inappropriate text messages to a youth member of the party. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Another party member, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3wpyxj8n7zo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> Brian Stanley, resigned </a> in October after a complaint against him that saw him brought before an internal party inquiry. McDonald told the Dáil (Irish parliament) his resignation is not related to matters of child protection, but the allegations were still "very, very serious". BBC News NI looks at the timeline of events. August 2021 After a series of offences which took place between May 2020 and August 2021, McMonagle is arrested and suspended from his job with Sinn Féin. June 2022 McMonagle's employment with the party is terminated. September 2022 <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> McMonagle gets a job with the British Heart Foundation using references provided by Sinn Féin press officers Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley. The charity said neither had referenced the ongoing police investigation nor McMonagle's suspension from his previous employment. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4f1Dl7_0w7rN5Sh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4f1Dl7_0w7rN5Sh00" width="778" height="437" ><figcaption>Michael McMonagle (highlighted far left) attended the same event as Michelle O'Neill (in pink jacket with her back to the camera) [Credit: BBC] </figcaption></figure> February 2023 McMonagle attended an event at Stormont in a professional capacity, hosted by the British Heart Foundation. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> He was photographed at close proximity to Michelle O’Neill, who later <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2ke681309o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> denied knowing McMonagle had taken up a job with the charity </a> . July 2023 The charity was made aware of the criminal charges against McMonagle and suspended him. August 2023 McMonagle <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-66403169?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> appeared in court and denied three charges </a> . The British Heart Foundation told a senior Sinn Féin human resources official that they had received two references from the party during McMonagle's recruitment. His position with the foundation is terminated. September 2023 Sinn Féin receives a complaint alleging Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile sent inappropriate messages to a teenage member of the party. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=10hRfs_0w7rN5Sh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=10hRfs_0w7rN5Sh00" width="1442" height="811" ><figcaption>Niall Ó Donnghaile is a former Lord Mayor of Belfast [Credit: PA] </figcaption></figure> The party said it followed its child protection policy, suspended the person who sent the message, and referred them to police and the social services. The PSNI said no formal complaint was received. December 2023 <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2vyl7jnn8eo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> Niall Ó Donnghaile resigned from the Seanad </a> (Irish senate), citing health reasons. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> July 2024 A complainant contacted Sinn Féin about concerns regarding an incident which took place in October 2023 involving TD (MP) Brian Stanley. August 2024 A formal complaint was made against Stanley. Mary Lou McDonald said she and Stanley were made aware of the complaint, but she was not made aware of the specific details at the time. She has since told the Dáil it was in relation to Stanley's personal behaviour and left the complainant feeling "traumatised and distressed". Stanley later launched a "serious" counter-complaint against the complainant and was advised to go to An Garda Síochána (Irish police). <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> He declined to do so. 23 September 2024 McMonagle <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjwd281gn9do?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> admits 14 out of 15 offences he is charged with </a> , after previously denying all charges. His sentencing is set for 8 November and he is placed on the sex offenders' register. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2I8QEm_0w7rN5Sh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2I8QEm_0w7rN5Sh00" width="635" height="357" ><figcaption>Michael McMonagle pictured at a previous court appearance [Credit: BBC] </figcaption></figure> 25 September 2024 This is the date Sinn Féin said it was first made aware of the references provided by Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley. 28 September 2024 It is reported that <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czj9mvv1z0mo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley have resigned </a> . 1 October 2024 Sinn Féin Economy Minister Conor Murphy <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c153kv7xgqgo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> defends his party’s handling of the McMonagle </a> case. When questioned about his party not alerting the charity, he said the party had “a legal responsibility not to interfere with the police investigation”. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3EzecP_0w7rN5Sh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3EzecP_0w7rN5Sh00" width="1750" height="984" ><figcaption>Conor Murphy says references provided for McMonagle were "inexplicable" [Credit: PA Media] </figcaption></figure> 2 October 2024 First Minister Michelle O’Neill told a Stormont Committee hearing she did not know McMonagle had taken up a new job with the British Heart Foundation. She also said she was not aware McMonagle was at the event at Parliament Buildings on 14 February 2023. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=08ymOD_0w7rN5Sh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=08ymOD_0w7rN5Sh00" width="1750" height="984" ><figcaption>Jon Boutcher contradicted Sinn Féin claims during a Policing Board meeting [Credit: PA Media] </figcaption></figure> 3 October 2024 PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher tells a Policing Board meeting that warning a charity about a potential police investigation into McMonagle <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0e1xdxv802o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> would not have prejudiced the investigation </a> . 4 October 2024 It is revealed that <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpdq6nl4046o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> a Stormont security pass held by McMonagle had only been cancelled that week </a> . The assembly body which controls the passes said it was not informed of McMonagle's suspension and they were not asked to suspend or cancel his pass. 5 October 2024 The British Heart Foundation released a statement in which it said it <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2ke681309o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> told a senior Sinn Féin official about the McMonagle references in August 2023 </a> , contradicting statements made by Murphy and O'Neill. Charity head Fearghal McKinney said O'Neill expressed regret for comments made by her party questioning the charity’s due diligence process. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2q01Ie_0w7rN5Sh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2q01Ie_0w7rN5Sh00" width="1750" height="984" ><figcaption>Michelle O'Neill apologised for the hurt caused by those who supplied McMonagle's references [Credit: PA Media] </figcaption></figure> In a separate statement, Michelle O'Neill said the contact between the charity and the party's HR department was not brought to the attention of the party's leadership at the time. O'Neill added "for the purpose of completeness", that she had also been made aware of an "unrelated issue with an adult female colleague of Michael McMonagle at a non-work related social gathering a number of years ago". 12 October 2024 <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3wpyxj8n7zo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> Brian Stanley resigned as a Sinn Féin TD </a> (MP). In a statement, the Laois TD described the party's inquiry process as "seriously flawed". 13 October 2024 It was announced that Stanley would be removed as chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee. Mary Lou McDonald confirmed that the internal process had been suspended and information had been passed on to Gardaí. <figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4HZi7v_0w7rN5Sh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4HZi7v_0w7rN5Sh00" width="976" height="549" ><figcaption>Brian Stanley resigned from Sinn Féin said he would remain a "republican TD" outside the party [Credit: Oireachtas] </figcaption></figure> 14 October 2024 McDonald told Irish broadcaster RTÉ the initial complaint had not been reported to An Garda Síochána at the time because it was not of a criminal nature. "But I am far happier that the complaint and counter allegation are now in the hands of the gardaí and they can do what they deem to be appropriate," she added. 15 October 2024 The <a href="https://www.irishnews.com/news/politics/former-sinn-fein-senator-niall-o-donnghaile-reveals-he-is-behind-inappropriate-text-messages-RN564G62NFEPPI7OMUKG4HSR5M/" rel="nofollow"> Irish News reported </a> that the person behind inappropriate text messages that were sent to a 17-year-old in Northern Ireland in September 2023 was former senator Niall Ó Donnghaile. During a debate in the Dáil, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpdq7yewx09o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> Mary Lou McDonald outlined details </a> surrounding her party's handling of the Michael McMonagle case, the allegations around Niall Ó Donnghaile and the complaint made about Brian Stanley. <ul><li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70wy2xk1yxo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> McDonald says buck stops with her over handling of issues </a></li><li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czj9mvv1z0mo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> Sinn Féin press officers resign over McMonagle references </a></li><li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c153kv7xgqgo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> Sinn Féin defends handling of McMonagle case </a></li><li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ceqn24ve1pzo?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> O'Neill 'horrified' over references for McMonagle </a></li><li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjd5jedg8m7o?xtor=AL-72-%5Bpartner%5D-%5Bnewsbreak.com%5D-%5Blink%5D-%5Bnews%5D-%5Bbizdev%5D-%5Bisapi%5D" rel="nofollow"> SDLP joins call for questions over Sinn Féin references </a></li></ul></div></body>

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Timeline: Sinn Féin's handling of safeguarding issues

The party has faced criticism for its handling of recent cases involving a former press officer and ex-senator.

Timeline: Sinn Féin's handling of safeguarding issues

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