Former Sinn Fein press officer jailed for child sex offences

By Rebecca Black (PA)

A former Sinn Fein press officer has been jailed for nine months after pleading guilty to a series of child sex offences.

Michael McMonagle, 43, from Limewood Street in Londonderry, was sentenced at Derry Crown Court to nine months in custody and nine months under statutory supervision.

He made no comment as he arrived at court earlier in the case that plunged Sinn Fein into controversy as it faced questions around safeguarding, and how two other party press officers provided references for McMonagle for a subsequent job with the British Heart Foundation.

Derry Crown Court heard on Friday how McMonagle had communicated with a number of online accounts which were run by police officers posing as children.

McMonagle had originally faced 15 charges, including attempting to incite two children to engage in sexual activity.

The offences relate to various dates between May 2020 and August 2021.

He pleaded guilty to 14 of the 15 offences, and another charge was left on the books.

McMonagle worked for a time as a newspaper journalist in Derry before being employed as a Sinn Fein press officer in the north west.

He was also an adviser for the party at Stormont for a number of years.

In a statement after his first court appearance, Sinn Fein said that as soon as it became aware of his arrest, he was “immediately suspended from employment and party membership”.

Former Sinn Fein press officer Michael McMonagle arrives at Derry Courthouse in Londonderry (photo by PA)