In August 2021, Sinn Féin press officer Michael McMonagle told his employers in Belfast that he had been arrested and questioned about serious criminal offences of a child protection nature.
He was suspended and his employment in Sinn Féin ended when his contract expired the following June. By September he had secured another job – with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) charity after receiving two references from Sinn Féin colleagues Séan Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley.
Neither reference “raised concerns about his suitability for employment or referenced the ongoing police investigation or suspension from his previous employment”, according to BHF.
This month the McMonagle case became public when he pleaded guilty to 14 charges, including two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
The case raises many questions not least who in the party knew about McMonagle’s crimes and why was he furnished with references from Sinn Féin for a new job without mentioning the reason for his suspension, not least because the new job involves interaction with the public and children. Who knew what, and when?
Irish Times Northern editor Freya McClements explains the timeline and why this story has been so incendiary for Sinn Féin on both sides of the Border.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Aideen Finnegan.
