No more statements from Laois TD Brian Stanley

Laois TD Brian Stanley will not be issuing any further statements in relation to the ongoing controversy surrounding his resignation from Sinn Féin. 

He made the announcement through his solicitor in Laois earlier today and referred to a statement which he released after Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald spoke about his resignation in the Dáil on Tuesday, October 15. 

Speaking on child protection in the Dáil, Dep McDonald began by clarifying that the events surrounding the resignation of Dep Stanley had nothing to do with child protection.

She had said the woman who lodged a complaint about Dep Stanley had been “traumatised and distressed” and she said it related to Dep Stanley’s personal behaviour. She said a counter allegation made during a Sinn Fein inquiry had “caused deep concern”. Dep Stanley denies any wrongdoing. 

Dep Stanley’s solicitor said his client would not be making further statements and referred to the statement issued shortly after Dep McDonald’s Dáil comments. It accused Dep McDonald of abusing Dail privilege.  

“Mary Lou Mc Donald abused Dáil privilege in a desperate attempt to shift the focus from her own party’s practices regarding a “complaint” against me, the contents of which I refute,” Dep Stanley said in the statement. 

“This comes after days of inaccurate statements and insinuations from Sinn Féin, along with selective briefings delivered with the clear intention of damaging my reputation and to shift the spotlight off the party. And all this, while a Garda investigation is ongoing on foot of serious matters I brought forward.

What was also revealing from her statement in the Dáil, is the level of double standards that now operate and pertain in Sinn Féin,” he said 

In the interest of clarity, I again state the following:

That the complaint against me, and which was not deemed to be of a criminal nature, was lodged on the 26 July and not 7 days later as Sinn Féin claim.

I also state that it was deliberately kept from me that there was even a complaint. That I wasn’t informed officially that there was a complaint until the 31 July and this followed a letter from my solicitor to Sinn Féin to demand official confirmation as to the existence of one. I again welcome the fact that this matter is now with An Garda Síochána,” Dep Stanley had said.