In an interview with Newstalk’s lunchtime show yesterday, Councillor Joe Reilly Sinn Féin’s National Child Protection Officer outlined the party’s guidelines on reporting child abuse:
Cllr. Reilly stated that in 2003 the party instigated a policy whereby members who were aware of instances of child abuse should report them to the party chair. The policy “evolved” in 2006 when any such reports should be submitted for use in a court of law.
When asked if Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams had not followed party guidelines Cllr. Reilly stated “I don’t know” but claimed that Adams had reported details of child abuse by his brother Liam Adams to the RUC via a solicitor prior to 2003.
This seems to contradict a BBC report which suggested that Adams didn’t tell police until 2007 and the party President is on the record as saying he didn’t tell anyone else in Sinn Féin that there were allegations of paedophilia against his brother.
When asked how Mr. Adams had handled the recent allegations by Mairia Cahill the Sinn Féin Councillor said “I think he has handled it very, very well”.
We (The Firemen) make that twice Mr A neglected to inform the police in the Aine Tyrell case. But here’s case which has received scant attention thus far from the mainstream media, faithfully reported in the Dundalk Democrat, the non reporting of an incident by a fellow councillor Pearse McGeough in Dundalk…
“I was acutely aware that the best agency to deal with the matter were the gardaí and advised the family to report the matter to the gardai. The victims disclosed the abuse when they became adults and decided not to notify the gardaí. I fully recognise that going to the authorities is huge step for victims and supported their decision.
Translated: I know exactly what the party policy is but in this case it does not apply.
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