Michelle O’Neill has corrected the file at Stormont relating to the age of the teenage boy who obtained inappropriate texts from the previous Irish Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile.
On Monday, the primary minister and Sinn Féin deputy chief advised the Northern Eire Meeting that occasion membership information mentioned the boy was 17 on the time.
However the younger individual had mentioned he was 16 years previous.
Sinn Féin chief Mary Lou McDonald has additionally corrected the file formally within the Dáil (decrease home of Irish parliament).
On Tuesday, O’Neill advised the meeting she “absolutely accepted” the age and needed to right the knowledge on the file.
She mentioned it was her understanding that the younger individual was 17 primarily based on the knowledge he had offered in his software to affix Sinn Féin.
She additionally repeated her apology to him saying she was “completely so sorry for the damage precipitated” by the occasion’s assertion issued following Mr Ó Donnghaile’s resignation in December 2023.
O’Neill had been dealing with calls to return to the meeting after the Democratic Unionist Social gathering (DUP) submitted an pressing query.
It’s understood that she is going to return to Stormont’s government workplace committee for extra questioning on Wednesday about Sinn Féin’s dealing with of kid safety points and up to date controversies.
Additionally it is understood that she is going to seem with out Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly or junior ministers.
She had been invited by the committee to come back again some weeks in the past, after members mentioned they’d further inquiries to put to her.
McDonald got here to the Dáil on Tuesday to right the file wherein she beforehand said the younger individual was 16 and apologised for her phrases.
“I’ve now written to the younger individual and his mom providing a full, unequivocal and honest apology,” she mentioned.
“What occurred to this younger individual was improper, Niall Ó Donnghaile’s behaviour was unacceptable, totally inappropriate, and no younger individual ought to have skilled that.”
McDonald apologises
The Sinn Féin chief additionally mentioned she was “very sorry” for the damage the phrases in her assertion following Mr Ó Donnghaile’s resignation.
“That was by no means, ever my intention, and I apologize to that younger individual,” she added.
McDonald mentioned it was her understanding {the teenager} was 17 years previous on the time of the incident “due to the knowledge offered on his software, formally utilized to affix Ográ Sinn Fein, that data was improper,” Ms McDonald mentioned.
“The younger individual themselves have made clear that he was in reality 16 on the time, so I need to right the Dáil file to mirror that he was in reality 16 years of age when the textual content was despatched.”
How did we get right here?
Sinn Féin has confronted criticism during the last week for its dealing with of the suspension and resignation of Mr Ó Donnghaile.
Mr Ó Donnghaile, a former Belfast lord mayor, was suspended by Sinn Féin over the problem however the occasion allowed him to resign on well being grounds in 2023 with out revealing the criticism towards him.
Requires readability on {the teenager}’s age got here following a Sunday Independent article where the boy said he was 16 at the time the texts were sent and never 17 as McDonald and O’Neill had beforehand mentioned.
The message is believed to have been private in nature however not sexually express.
The occasion has additionally been questioned over its safeguarding insurance policies after two former press officers gave references to former colleague and convicted youngster intercourse offender Michael McMonagle.
On Monday, it emerged {that a} Sinn Féin worker had resigned after admitting involvement in an incident the place a portrait of former DUP lord mayor Lord Browne was broken.
Talking at Stormont on Tuesday, the primary minister mentioned the worker was “instantly suspended” and the police have been notified.
On Monday night, McDonald mentioned Sinn Féin accepted the boy’s personal account that he was 16 on the time.
“The individual is aware of their age so clearly Michelle [O’Neill] is correct, the occasion information did point out that he was 17, it was on his software kind for membership,” McDonald mentioned.
“However that doesn’t matter now. What issues is that we reply absolutely to the younger individual in query and what issues is that the Dáil file is correct and I’ll attend to each of these issues tomorrow.”
A Sinn Féin spokesperson mentioned the occasion file of the boy’s age was “primarily based on the date of beginning that [he] offered on his membership paperwork on the time”.
The spokesperson mentioned it had “since emerged” that the boy was 16 years previous.