Former Sinn Fein press officer jailed for child sex offences

A erstwhile Sinn Fein property serviceman has been jailed for 9 months aft pleading blameworthy to a bid of kid enactment offences.

Michael McMonagle, 43, from Limewood Street successful Londonderry, was sentenced astatine Derry Crown Court to 9 months successful custody and 9 months nether statutory supervision.

He made nary remark arsenic helium arrived astatine tribunal earlier successful the lawsuit that plunged Sinn Fein into contention arsenic it faced questions astir safeguarding, and however 2 different enactment property officers provided references for McMonagle for a consequent occupation with the British Heart Foundation.

Derry Crown Court heard connected Friday however McMonagle had communicated with a fig of online accounts which were tally by constabulary officers posing arsenic children.

McMonagle had primitively faced 15 charges, including attempting to incite 2 children to prosecute successful intersexual activity.

The offences subordinate to assorted dates betwixt May 2020 and August 2021.

He pleaded blameworthy to 14 of the 15 offences, and different complaint was near connected the books.

McMonagle worked for a clip arsenic a paper writer successful Derry earlier being employed arsenic a Sinn Fein property serviceman successful the northbound west.

He was besides an advisor for the enactment astatine Stormont for a fig of years.

In a connection aft his archetypal tribunal appearance, Sinn Fein said that arsenic soon arsenic it became alert of his arrest, helium was “immediately suspended from employment and enactment membership”.