Ms O’Neill had previously told the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday that party records had shown the teenager was 17 when the texts were sent
Northern Ireland ’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill has said she "fully accepts" that a young person sent inappropriate texts by former Sinn Fein senator Niall O Donnghaile was 16 years old when it occurred.
Sinn Fein has said it referred the matter to the PSNI and social services immediately last September, but no criminal investigation was pursued after police deemed that there had been no illegality. However, the teenager told the Sunday Independent that he was 16 when he received what he described as "inappropriate messages" from Mr O Donnghaile last year.Addressing MLAs at Stormont, Ms O’Neill said: "Yesterday I was asked about the age of the young person who was sent inappropriate text messages by a Sinn Fein representative. It was my understanding that the young person was 17 years of age based on the information of the application to join the party.
"What happened to this young person was wrong. Niall O Donnghaile’s behaviour was unacceptable and entirely inappropriate and no young person should have experienced that. An investigation had been launched after the official portrait of Lord Wallace Browne was damaged at the weekend.
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