PSNI chief disputes prejudice claim over Michael McMonagle

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable has contradicted a claim by Sinn Féin that telling the British Heart Foundation about a potential police investigation into former press officer Michael McMonagle would have prejudiced that investigation.

Jon Boutcher told the Policing Board he did not want the PSNI to get involved in a political “tit-for-tat”.

Last week, McMonagle, of Limewood Street in Londonderry, admitted to a series of child sex offensesincluding attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

After leaving the party, McMonagle went on to work for the British Heart Foundation and received references from two other former Sinn Féin press officers.

During a meeting of the Policing Board on Thursday, DUP MLA Trevor Clarke asked Boutcher whether the police had provided Sinn Féin with “any information highlighting their potential responsibility to consider forwarding information shared with them in relation to the McMonagle case”, and whether sharing that information could prejudice a potential police investigation.

Boutcher said he did not see how a police investigation would have been prejudiced.

“I know you want to try and drag the PSNI into this,” he said.

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

Sinn Féin has been criticized for not alerting the charity to the fact McMonagle was under police investigation for child sex offences.

On Tuesday, Sinn Féin’s Economy Minister Conor Murphy was asked why the party did not raise issues with the British Heart Foundation about McMonagle’s subsequent employmentwhich involved attending events at Stormont.

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

After McMonagle was first arrested in August 2021, he informed Sinn Féin and was suspended from his job. Later his contract of employment ended.

He then took up a position with the British Heart Foundation in September 2022.

The British Heart Foundation said neither of the job references “raised a concern about his (McMonagle’s) suitability for employment or referenced an ongoing police investigation or suspension from his previous employment.”

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill said she was “aghast and horrified” after learning about the references provided for McMonagle.

O’Neill also denied knowing that McMonagle had taken up the new job with the charity, despite the pair attending the same event to support organ donation at Stormont in 2023.

“I was not aware that Michael McMonagle was at that event,” she told reporters.

“We went into the hall with a number of people, he was not on my radar at all since we took disciplinary action.

“I am confident to say that I didn’t know anything about Michael McMonagle’s whereabouts – I was there to support the campaign and the legislation.”