O'Neill 'horrified' over references for McMonagle

First Minister Michelle O’Neill said she was “aghast and horrified” when she learned two Sinn Féin press officers provided references for a man being investigated for child sex offences.

The two press officers - who have since resigned - provided the references for their former colleague Michael McMonagle when he applied for a new job after leaving Sinn Féin while under investigation for the offences.

In September, McMonagle, from Limewood Street in Londonderry, admitted to a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

O'Neill also denied knowing that McMonagle, had taken up the new job with the British Heart Foundation, despite the pair attending the same charity event at Stormont.

Sinn Féin has been criticised for not alerting the charity to the fact McMonagle was under police investigation for child sex offences.

O'Neill told reporters on Wednesday that she did not know McMonagle was at the event in 2023 at Parliament Buildings, attended by the British Heart Foundation to support organ donation campaigner Dáithí Mac Gabhann.

“I was not aware that Michael McMonagle was at that event," she said.

“We go into the hall with a number of people, he was not on my radar at all from we took disciplinary action.

“I am confident to say that I did not know anything about Michael McMonagle’s whereabouts – I was there to support the campaign and the legislation."

Ulster Unionist Party assembly member Doug Beattie said he found it "hard to believe" that Ms O'Neill "didn’t notice her former colleague" at the Stormont event.

Earlier on Wednesday O'Neill was asked about the incident by Democratic Unionist Party assembly member Brian Kingston at a Stormont committee hearing on Wednesday.

She said she was “aghast and horrified” that two former Sinn Féin employees had given him references.

“It would not have happened if they had come and asked for permission," she said.

"It was wrong and should not have happened.”

The first minister added she was confident she took “all the correct action”.

But she said there were lessons for a lot of people in terms of "due diligence for an employer when they take on an employee”.

“Everyone needs to learn those lessons,” she said.

The British Heart Foundation said neither of the job references "raised a concern about his [McMonagle's] suitability for employment or referenced an ongoing police investigation or suspension from his previous employment".

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Simon Harris said Sinn Féin had "legitimate questions" to answer over its handling of the incident and that the revelations were "deeply disturbing" and "concerning".

He said he did not want to play politics with the issue as it was "far too serious".

“There is nothing more important than the safety of our children," he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

“What we are reading and learning in real time is deeply disturbing.

"The idea that any individual under investigation for sexual crimes against children would find themselves working in another organisation which has contact with children without that organisation being aware is deeply concerning."

Harris said it would be "helpful" to see the references which were provided, but did not want to take "pot shots" about the issue.

“It is an issue in relation to how we protect children from sexual predators," he said.

“I'm sure that the leader of Sinn Féin will do the right thing on this in terms of answering very legitimate, important, fundamental questions about the protection of the most vulnerable people in society.”

After McMonagle was first arrested in August 2021, he informed Sinn Féin and was suspended from his job. Later his contract of employment ended.

He then took up the position in the British Heart Foundation in September 2022.

Ulster Unionist Party assembly member Doug Beattie said the two press officers - Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley - were "right to resign" and should never have given the references.

But he said the party had a "moral obligation" to let the British Heart Foundation know about McMonagle's suspension and investigation.

"I think the problem is the fact of what do Sinn Féin know in regards to McMonagle and what actions should they have taken once they had known that he had applied for a new job?" Beattie said.

"Once they realised that he had actually gotten a job within that charity, and was working with children, they still said nothing.

"I think they need to put their hands up and say 'we've got this one wrong and we're going to look at it and fix our processes'.

"Doubling down the way they have is not going to help."