Sinn Féin councilor suspended from party after allegedly sending inappropriate online messages to minors – The Irish Times

A Sinn Féin councilor has been suspended from the party over allegations he sent inappropriate online messages to an underage child.

Cllr JJ Magee has been a member of Belfast City Council since 2014.

Sinn Féin president Declan Kearney said the party whip on Cllr Magee was revoked “without prejudice”. Major Magee denies the allegations.

Details have been passed to social services in the North and the Police Service of Northern Ireland in line with Sinn Féin’s child protection policy.

“The party will have no further comment as this matter is under active investigation by the relevant authorities,” Mr Kearney added.

In a statement released via KRW Law in Belfast, Cllr Magee “absolutely” denied allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

He works with the Northern Ireland Local Government Standards Commissioner (NILGC).

KRWLaw said Major Magee submitted a 12,000-word, 38-page rebuttal. The law firm added that the complaint against it was “malicious, selective and edited a significant portion of messages sent and received over a three-month period.”

“Our client claims that there is not a single line that could be considered inappropriate in the messages sent to him.

“Our client looks forward to being exonerated and his reputation restored,” the statement said.

Cllr Magee is the brother of former Sinn Féin press officer Gerard Magee, who is a long-term partner of Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín.

Sinn Féin’s statement follows a series of scandals that have rocked the party in the weeks before the Republic’s general election, which is expected to be held shortly.

Last week, Brian Stanley, the former chairman of the Public Accounts committee, announced he would run as an independent candidate in Laois, leaving the party in a difficult position to find candidates in the country. Mr Stanley resigned, claiming he was subjected to kangaroo court during an investigation into his behavior towards a young woman who complained about him to the party.

The Stanley incident comes at a time when former senator Niall Ó Donnghaile’s inappropriate messages to a 16-year-old male party member have shaken the party. Party leader Mary Lou McDonald has apologized for giving warm praise to Ó Donnghaile after he resigned last year when the party did not mention the real reason for his resignation.

The party has also had to deal with the fallout from the revelation that senior members in Belfast had made references to a former press officer who later admitted sexual offenses against children.

Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley resigned after giving a reference to Michael McMonagle, who joined the British Heart Foundation. McMonagle has since pleaded guilty to 14 charges, including one count of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Separately, Kildare South TD Patricia Ryan recently resigned from the party following internal tensions.