Boutcher ‘can’t see’ how passing information on McMonagle would prejudice probe

Northern Ireland’s Chief Constable has indicated that he does not believe Sinn Fein passing information that a former employee was being investigated for sex offences would have harmed the investigation.

The party has been questioned over why it did not tell the British Heart Foundation that its former press officer Michael McMonagle was facing charges.

Last month McMonagle, 42, from Limewood Street, Londonderry, admitted a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

McMonagle was first arrested in August 2021.

Sinn Fein has said it suspended him as soon as it became aware of the police investigation.

However, he took up a position with the British Heart Foundation in September 2022.

The charity has said it was not made aware that he was facing investigation.

It has emerged that Sean Mag Uidhir and Caolan McGinley resigned as Sinn Fein press officers on Saturday, days after it emerged they had given references for their former colleague McMonagle for the job at the charity.

On Tuesday, Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy was asked why the party did not raise issues with the British Heart Foundation about McMonagle.

He said it could not do anything which could “potentially be prejudicial” to the police investigation.

“When we suspended him and he ended his engagement with us, that matter then, until the point that he was charged, is a matter for the police,” Mr Murphy said.

“We have no involvement, it is not our job to do the investigation.

“To do anything in relation to that could potentially be prejudicial.

“It is up to the police to gather sufficient evidence to decide to charge him.”

DUP MLA Trevor Clarke questioned Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher about the comment at a meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board on Thursday.

Responding, Mr Boutcher said he did not want to get “dragged into any political tit-for-tat”, describing police as having become the “lightning rod”.

He said he did not know much about the case, but added: “If indeed we did reach out to Sinn Fein to give information that concerned us about an individual that we felt they should know about, that wouldn’t prejudice an investigation … that’s just a responsibility around any notification requirements we’ve got.”

“We have some duty to notify organisations if they would have somebody working for them who had a conviction for certain sexual offences, particularly offences against children,” he said.

“I became aware of this story particularly today. We can’t track organisations who are receiving information about individuals who might be working for them. If people write to us, then we’ll respond to those people if there is a concern about an individual.

“If the question is, would that prejudice an investigation, the answer is, and I don’t know the detail, I don’t see how it would prejudice an investigation.”

Earlier this week, Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill was asked about an event she attended in February 2023, where McMonagle was also present while working for the British Heart Foundation.

She was photographed near to McMonagle at the event to support young Belfast boy Daithi Mac Gabhann’s campaign around organ donation.

However Ms O’Neill said she was not aware that McMonagle was at that event.

She has defended the party’s handling of the situation and said she had a “zero tolerance for this”.

In a statement on Thursday, the Mac Gabhann family expressed concern around the usage of images showing Daithi.

“Our campaign uses the image of our beautiful son Daithi to spread positivity and hope as we work to raise awareness of organ donation, always with the goal of one day receiving the precious gift of a new heart for him,” they said.

“We do not condone the use of Daithi’s image for any purpose outside of this mission.

“Daithi deserves to be protected, and we kindly urge both the media and the public to use his image with the utmost care and responsibility. His story is one of hope, and we ask that it be treated with the respect it deserves.”