Former Laois Sinn Féin TD considers legal action

Former Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley has said a campaign of “character assassination” was continuing and he wouldn’t rule out taking a civil action in the wake of his dramatic departure from the party. 

He left Sinn Féin last month after an internal inquiry draft report indicated a finding of “gross misconduct” and a determination that his behaviour had amounted to sexual harassment. He fully denies any wrongdoing and said Sinn Féin has created a “false narrative” in relation to the matter and lied about a barrister overseeing the internal inquiry. 

The Independent Republican candidate said his wife, Sinn Féin Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley,  and children had been targeted in the campaign in recent days. 

In the wake of his departure from Sinn Féin, Mr Stanley said nuns had been praying for him and priests had sent him good wishes. 

“Since the controversy happened the amount of people that have contacted me. I have nuns stopping me and telling me why I need to run. I have messages from nuns telling me they are praying for me but I also told them I needed a few votes. I have had mass bouquets from priests. I have had good wishes from protestant ministers. I have had all sorts of people sending in stuff,” he revealed.    

Speaking last Monday, November 18, he said: “The campaign of character assassination against me continues. It continued yesterday. It continued right up to in the last 24 hours it was still happening. 

It has been handled in such a way as to target Caroline and I do know in one instance to target my children. I don’t mind political combat in the sense of people contesting on policies, contesting on track records, that’s all fair game but the stuff that is the creation of Sinn Fein now, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, I don’t ever recall them in the 40 years that I am involved in elections, both campaigning for other people and campaigning for myself, I don’t believe I have ever seen it happening. That’s a question for the leadership of Sinn Fein, is that the type of organisation that they have?” he asked.  

“Should we really be surprised? We have a leader of Sinn Fein that lied about the dates the complaints were received. That lied about the fact that there was a Barrister overseeing it. There was no Barrister. The only day they consulted a Barrister was on the day I resigned,” he claimed. 

“When the political potato got too hot they ran around and dropped it on the counter of the garda station, much to the surprise and the amazement of gardaí,” he said. 

Mr Stanley said the party “sat on” the complaint for ten months and only lodged it on the date nominations opened for applications for a Sinn Féin candidate to run in Laois. 

He accused Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald of misleading the public about the dates, something he said he could prove. 

“The Sinn Fein false narrative that was put out that it wasn’t received till a week later but I have confirmation, a copy of confirmation from her party chairperson, that it was received a week earlier. I have a copy of the Sinn Féin documents dated the 26th of July and in them documents it states clearly no less than three times that the purpose is the removal of Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley. That’s what it said at the start and the beginning,” he said. 

Sinn Féin has stated that the complainant contacted them on July 26 but didn’t submit a statement of complaint until August 2 and this marked the date of commencement of the disciplinary process. 

“Because of what Sinn Féin had allowed in the party I had to come to the conclusion that it was no longer a safe place to be as a TD and that is regrettable. That is a matter for Sinn Féin to deal with,” said Mr Stanley. 

When asked whether he was referring to physical safety he said: “No. There are a small group of people who have proven that they are fit for anything. What’s also been proven is that the leadership are incapable or doesn’t want to deal with it. That’s fine. They have lost TDs over it.”

“It was no longer a safe place to be a Sinn Féin TD. The so-called complaint that was lodged with the party. It was never any criminal allegation made against me,” he pointed out. 

When asked about his wife remaining in Sinn Féin while he had left the party he said: “Caroline will deal with all that in her own good time. I am confident of that and she has been a tower of strength as have all my family and Caroline’s family indeed. We couldn’t ask for better, they have absolutely been wonderful over the last five months.” 

In relation to taking civil action, Mr Stanely said: “Legal matters all remain under consideration. The consideration at the moment is the General Election. There’s no rush.”

The Leinster Express has contacted Sinn Féin in relation to Mr Stanley's claims.