Former Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley has accused Mary Lou McDonald of abusing Dail privilege.

Deputy Stanley resigned from Sinn Féin on Saturday claiming he had been subjected to a flawed internal inquiry which he described as a ‘kangaroo court’.

Sinn Féin has insisted the Laois/Offaly TD’s rights were protected throughout the process and noted that he had a solicitor and barrister with him during the disciplinary panel meeting.

The party confirmed earlier this week that it had also referred the matter to Gardaí.

Mary Lou McDonald speaks in the Dáil, 15-10-24. Image: Oireachtas TV

In a speech to the Dáil yesterday, Mary Lou McDonald said the complaint against Deputy Stanley was ‘very serious’ and said the alleged incident had left the complainant ‘traumatised and distressed’.

She said it relates to an incident involving Deputy Stanley’s in October 2023 and confirmed that the former Sinn Féin TD had raised a "very serious" counter-allegation against the complainant related to the same incident.

She said Deputy Stanley had been advised to bring his counter-complaint to the gardaí but had not done so.

Deputy McDonald also insisted she was not aware of the nature of the complaint against Deputy Stanley until Saturday night when he resigned from the party.

"Desperate"

Deputy Stanley denies any misbehaviour.

In a statement last night, Deputy Stanley accused the Sinn Féin leader of abusing 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”.

He said the speech came 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”.

File Photo of Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley on the first day of the 31st Dáil, 09-03-2011. Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

He said Deputy McDonald’s speech also highlighted the “level of double standards that now operate and pertain in Sinn Féin”.

He said Sinn Féin “deliberately” kept the complaint from him until his solicitor sent the party a letter demanding “official confirmation” that it existed.

He also noted that the complaint was lodged on July 26^th and “not seven days later as Sinn Féin claims”.

The independent TD said he “welcomes the fact that this matter is now with Gardaí”.

Mary Lou McDonald and Niall Ó Donnghaile at the entrance to Leinster House, 15-10-2024. Image: RollingNews

In her Dáil speech yesterday Mary Lou McDonald also defended Sinn Féin’s decision to withhold the reason Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile resigned his position last year.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Ó Donnghaile confirmed that he had stepped down from his role and left the party after he sent “inappropriate messages” to a teenager.

When he resigned, Deputy McDonald issued a press statement thanking him for his “diligent” service and noting that he had “made a valuable contribution” during his time in politics.

The statement failed to note the reason for his departure.

In her speech yesterday she said Sinn Féin decided not to release the reason for Mr Ó Donnghaile’s departure after doctors informed the party he was “suffering from a mental health crisis”.

She noted that the party were concerned that “publicly naming him would be dangerous to his health”.