The lead officer of Northern’s police force, Jon Boutcher, has indicated that the ongoing investigation wouldn’t have been compromised if Sinn Féin had earlier alerted the British Heart Foundation about the apprehension of their former media person, who later got employed by the Foundation. Speaking at a policing board meeting, Boutcher admitted he in no way had detailed knowledge of the situation, but couldn’t see how it could obstruct their investigation.
Criticism has continued to mount against Sinn Féin due to the way it dealt with the controversy enveloping its Northern media team, following the revelation that two former press officers provided personal recommendations for a past colleague later found guilty of child sex crimes.
Jon Boutcher revealed last week that Seán Mag Uidhir, a high-ranking Sinn Féin member who oversaw the party’s Northern media department, and Caolán McGinley, his partner, stepped down recently after it came to light that they had vouched for Michael McMonagle, another past media personnel from their party.
McMonagle (42), a Derry-based individual, accepted his guilt on two counts of attempting to incite a minor into sexual activity, alongside twelve counts of attempted sexual communication with a minor between 2020 and 2021.
In August 2021, McMonagle was suspended from Sinn Féin after his arrest; a year later, he was recruited as the communications and engagement manager at the British Heart Foundation in Belfast. His charges were revealed publicly in 2023, leading to his suspension and subsequent dismissal from the charity.
Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin’s deputy leader and the North’s Premier, expressed shock and disgust at the actions of Mag Uidhir and McGinley. Defending her own conduct, she stated that she took swift action as soon as she discovered last Wednesday that both people had provided referrals.
Economic Minister Conor Murphy, responding to a BBC inquiry about why Sinn Féin did not update the British Heart Foundation regarding McMonagle’s apprehension despite his involvement in Stormont activities through his current job, explained that it could not perform any actions that might create a bias in the police probe.
Interrogated by the DUP MLA Trevor Clarke, the Chief Constable stated, “The police are the primary focus in this scenario, and I have no desire to be pulled into any political disputes”. He clarified further, “It’s not within our capacity to monitor organisations receiving information about working individuals. If we receive letters, we’ll respond if there are concerns about a person, there’s not much else to add”.
Subsequent to their discussion, Mr Clarke stated it was crucial for “public representatives to be accurate in their statements on serious matters such as child safety”, and insisted that Mr Murphy should “apologise and acknowledge his errors”. A response from Sinn Féin is still awaited.
The British Heart Foundation further clarified its hiring practices in response to Ms O’Neill’s comments that new employers must also exercise due diligence when hiring a previous worker. The foundation indicated that McMonagle had been employed based on two professional references, both of which neither indicated an ongoing police investigation nor any employment related suspension.
The role didn’t warrant advanced Access NI background checks, unlike certain other foundation roles, as it didn’t involve unsupervised work with children, vulnerable adults or patients. The British Heart Foundation being informed of his apprehension and criminal charges in July 2023 led to his immediate suspension.
The charity stated, “We followed our extremely robust recruitment and safeguarding policies meticulously during his hiring process and the ensuing investigation”. Parents of organ donation advocate Daíthí Mac Gabhann voiced their worries about the use of pictures featuring their six-year-old son in news related to the story.
The First Minister has revealed that she was unaware of Michael McMonagle’s location or vocational activities. Meanwhile, the Mac Gabhann family expressed their disapproval of the utilisation of Daíthí’s image for any intent beyond this particular cause. At an event held at Stormont, in February 2023, promoting the said cause, figures from Sinn Féin, including Ms O’Neill, were in attendance, and pictures doing the rounds suggest that McMonagle was also there. – adjoined from PA report.