A former Sinn Féin press officer charged with sex offences has pleaded not guilty.
Michael McMonagle (42), of Limewood Street, Derry, appeared at Derry Crown Court charged with two counts of attempting to incite a child to engage in a sexual act. He also faces 13 charges of attempted sexual communication with a child.
All of the offences are alleged to have occurred on dates between June 8th, 2020 and August 16th, 2021.
When the charges were put to him Mr McMonagle pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Nil Yalter: Solo Exhibition – A fascinating glimpse of a historically influential artist
A Californian woman in Dublin: ‘Ireland’s not perfect, but I do think as a whole it is moving in the right direction’
Will Andy Farrell’s Lions sabbatical hurt Ireland’s Six Nations chances?
How does VAT in Ireland compare with countries across Europe? A guide to a contentious tax
Defence counsel Kieran Mallon told the court: “There are a number of issues I would want to address in an urgent fashion.”
He asked the court for a four week adjournment “for good reason”.
Judge Neil Rafferty KC told the defendant that there were a “number of urgent investigations” that needed to be done. He said he was releasing Mr McMonagle on continuing bail and adjourned the case until May 17th.
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Listen to our Inside Politics podcast for the best political chat and analysis