Ex-Sinn Fein Press Officer Received 24-hour Deadline For Court Appearance In Child Sex Abuse Charges
Ex-Sinn Fein press officer, Michael Gerard McMonagle, 42, is given a 24-hour deadline by the Crown Court in Derry to appear for fifteen child sex abuse charges. He was summoned to respond to the fifteen allegations within the given deadline.
The orders for Michael McMonagle from the Bogside neighbourhood, outside Derry city, were given by Judge Philip Babington.
(Also read: Sean Combs Remain In Custody As New York Judge Rejects The Bail Plea)
Last April, the ex-Sinn Fein press officer was called to the court for all of the child sex abuse charges for which he pleaded ‘not guilty’ later.
He failed to show up on Thursday for the same charges he had originally denied as he was arraigned again by the judge to make a final decision.
The press officer’s legal team also did not have any clue as to why the defendant did not show up in court. They told that they called him on his phone but he did not pick up. They tried at his residence but all in vain. They could not locate him by any chance.
McMonagle was charged with thirteen cases of child sex abuse when he tried to communicate sexually with children in order to get a similar response in the form of sexual gratification.
One of the charges included his attempt to ask a girl under the age of thirteen to engage in a sexual act involving penetration while the other charge was about asking another girl child under the age of sixteen to perform a sexual activity for him.
The accusations directed towards him were scheduled to take place between May 2020 and August 2021.
Judge Babington clearly stated that he would not immediately grant a bench warrant for the ex-Sinn Fein press officer and would give him a 24-hour deadline to appear in court to answer about the charges.
One of the barristers from the Public Prosecution Service clarified that the trial date of the case was fixed for Monday. It was done in order to wait for a prosecution witness to arrive who was travelling from England. However, now the time has arrived for the trial to take place.
Dean Mooney, the defence barrister, said, “A trial will not be required on Monday. If there are any witnesses on standby they will not be required on Monday. I cannot think of any reason for his non-attendance in court today”.
What happened in the first case hearing against ex-Sinn Fein press officer?
Previously, in the first proceedings of the same case against Michael McMonagle, he was granted bail on account of an “unfortunate incident” with his family member. He was released as the case needed some issues to be sorted out that would have led the court to reach “almost at the point of resolution”.
In August 2023, Michael McMonagle denied three of the charges at Londonderry Magistrates’ Court. The incidents that occurred between May 1, 2020, and August 18, 2021, were his highlighted crimes.
His solicitor explained that McMonagle needed hospital treatment, after which he did not attend a court hearing next Wednesday. He was taken into custody by the police and was brought before the court on Friday with the assistance of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The action was taken after the court issued an arrest warrant on Wednesday for his failure to attend court.
