Former Sinn Féin press officer Michael McMonagle to be sentenced on Friday

McMonagle (42) from Limewood Street, Derry, admitted a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

He had originally faced 15 charges, including attempting to incite two children to engage in sexual activity.

He was also accused of 13 counts of attempted sexual communication with a child.

The offences relate to various dates between May 2020 and August 2021.

At his first court appearance last year he was charged with three offences but 12 more were added later.

McMonagle pleaded guilty to all charges on 23 September and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register.

He was first arrested in August 2021.

Sinn Féin has said it suspended him as soon as it became aware of the police investigation. His term of employment with Sinn Féin at the Assembly formally ended in July 2022.

McMonagle then went on to get a job with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which did not know he was under investigation for child sex offences.

It later emerged that two former party press officers for Sinn Fein provided references for McMonagle in 2022 for the BHF job.

McMonagle began his BHF job in September 2022 and carried on until July 2023 when the charity heard of the criminal charges he faced.