But in Belfast, the First Minister appeared at odds with her leader when she told the Assembly that the child was “in fact 17” according to the party’s membership records. Advertisement Advertisement Michelle O’Neill's statement contradicts the child’s own testimony in the Sunday Independent newspaper at the weekend – where he said he was 16 at the time – and came just after her party leader Mary Lou McDonald said the record would be corrected in the Dail. Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley highlighted calls for the Sinn Fein President to “correct the record” in the Irish parliament, after she claimed the teenager was 17. The inappropriate message has been described as personal in nature but not sexually explicit. Advertisement Advertisement The Upper Bann MLA asked the First Minister to tell the Assembly “what age was the schoolboy involved?” Ms O’Neill said: “Can I just repeat again that all child protection protocols were followed, with an immediate referral to the PSNI and also to social services.
The protection of the young person was absolutely our primary concern. Niall O Donnghaile was held accountable and faced serious consequences for his totally unacceptable and totally inappropriate behaviour. “And I’m deeply sorry and angry that this young person has had to endure any of this inappropriateness or this unaccep.
