Mary Lou McDonald welcomes Freddie Thompson conviction
Sinn Féin has welcomed the conviction of gangland murderer Freddie Thompson at the Special Criminal Court.
Party leader Mary Lou McDonald says she supports the decision by the three-judge panel which found the Kinahan cartel member guilty of murder.
That is despite previous calls from Sinn Féin to scrap non-jury proceedings like those held at the special criminal court.
Speaking ahead of day two of the party's think-in in Cavan, Ms McDonald appeared to soften the party's approach on the issue.
"I very much welcome that conviction. I represent an inner-city constituency myself," she said.
"On the issue of non-jury courts, we are not unique or alone in Sinn Féin in raising concerns about that in terms of due process but it is far outweighed by our certain knowledge and our concern to keep communities safe."
