Sinn Féin: Not our job to probe abuse claims

SINN FÉIN has claimed it is not its job to investigate paedophilia or rape by any of its members and that should be left to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

It said its policy is to suspend all members suspected of abuse and pass on the details to the police. It cannot be expected to decide whether a person is guilty or not, it said.

The party confirmed one of its representatives is barred from having anything to do with its political activities because the PSNI is investigating allegations of abuse.

“If an allegation of sexual abuse is made against a Sinn Féin member, the party ensures that the matter is reported to the relevant statutory authorities. The member is suspended from the party without prejudice.

“A Sinn Féin representative is suspended without prejudice from party membership and all party activities including work as a public representative. This suspension was activated after the PSNI commenced an investigation into an allegation of historic abuse. It is not the job of Sinn Féin to establish guilt or innocence and we will await the outcome of the police investigation,” a statement said.

It was responding to fresh allegations made in the Sunday Tribune which claimed Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams was aware of two further cases where prominent republicans were accused of rape.

According to the report the IRA acted as its own police service in one instance 10 years ago and brought the victim, a Sinn Féin activist, to meet her attacker, an established IRA figure, so that they could read the body language and establish guilt.

He was put under house arrest by the IRA but then left to live in Donegal.

On Saturday Mr Adams said he had no knowledge that his brother Liam worked for the party in West Belfast when allegations of child abuse were known to the party’s president.

The party said it “refutes” the suggestion of a cover-up and claimed the newspaper was engaged in a smear campaign against Mr Adams.