Adams' brother sought over alleged abuse

[orangeman]

Oops - Sunday Tribune "might" be right :


SF suspend member on abuse claim 
 
A member of Sinn Fein has been suspended from the party over allegations of child abuse.

The Sunday Tribune newspaper carried a report from a woman who claimed she was abused when she was 10 years old.

Sinn Fein confirmed that a member had been suspended without prejudice from party membership and activities.

The Tribune also featured an interview with another woman who claimed she had been repeatedly raped by a prominent IRA man in west Belfast.

In the interview, the young woman claimed she had been brought face-to-face with the man and that the IRA had offered her a counsellor.

She said she believed this would be a charade, as it would be an IRA-friendly counsellor.

Welfare

She claimed the man had been put under house arrest but she was later told he had "escaped". She believed that he was helped to move to Donegal.

A spokesman for Sinn Fein said the party denied any allegation of a "cover up" by the party.

"Our position on these matters is crystal clear. At all times the welfare of children is paramount. The people who should investigate allegations of abuse are the statutory authorities charged with this task - the PSNI/Gardai and the Social Services.

"If an allegation of sexual abuse is made against a Sinn Fein member, the party ensures that the matter is reported to the relevant statutory authorities.

"The member is suspended from the party without prejudice. This is in contrast to other political parties which have allowed members against whom allegations are being made to remain politically active until the completion of the legal process.



The Sinn Fein president's brother Liam Adams is facing sex abuse allegations
"A Sinn Fein representative is suspended without prejudice from party membership and all party activities. including work as a public representative."

He said the suspension of the party member was activated after the police began their investigation into "an allegation of historic abuse".

Estranged

The fresh allegations have put further pressure on Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams who is already facing tough questions over his handling of sex charges against his brother.

Liam Adams faces allegations that he abused his daughter and was forced from the party in County Louth in 1997.

But it has emerged he held a number of positions elsewhere after 2000.

Gerry Adams has been forced to defend claims he did not do enough to inform the authorities when he found out his estranged brother was working in youth groups in west Belfast and the Irish Republic over the last 15 years.

He was also forced to explain how he did not know his brother worked for Sinn Fein in his own parliamentary constituency.

Mr Adams said his political opponents were using the issue in an attempt to undermine him.

He said he also felt constrained from fully defending himself by a need to protect the privacy of family members and by a desire not to prejudice any future court proceedings against his brother.

The Tribune claimed that Mr Adams had been aware of the latest allegations from the two women but had not acted.

But the Sinn Fein spokesman categorically denied that and said the party was considering legal action against the newspaper for allegations "founded on innuendo and sensationalism and not facts".


"Gerry Adams and the party refute absolutely any allegation of covering up instances of abuse," he said.

[Minder]

Brigid Meehan according to today's Irish News.

[Ulick]

Oops - Sunday Tribune "might" be right :

Something stinks with the Tribune and Irish News stories on Briege Meehan and it's not just that they seem to have betrayed the victims right to anonymity. The infighting in the Meehan family has been well know for years, with many things alleged about all the siblings and the victims husband (a quick Google search reports him and her exiled from the north in 2002). There have been rumours of a long running feud between Briege Meehan and the victims brother (who has been appearing fairly frequently in Suzanne Breen articles recently). Add to this that the allegations have only been made after the death of Martin Meehan, there seems to be a lot of competing motivations on all sides of the story - maybe to many to allow for unbiased reporting. 

I'm not saying the victims allegations are false but that the whole unsavoury incident would have more chance of being sorted out away from the limelight, as the victim had requested.

[Silky]

Like most people I assumed the abuser must be a man when I read the Truibune story and a shocking story it is.

[lynchbhoy]

Like most people I assumed the abuser must be a man when I read the Truibune story and a shocking story it is.

most people assume its a man - usually right though !

suzanne breen has lost focus due to her hell bent crusade against adams !

what was he supposed to do ?
he is not the police force and secondly sf taking any action first would put the victims case let alone the accused's case into jeopardy.

theres a lot of accusations in the world out there but no one (police force) can do a thing without proof/evidence first (well since 1994 thats the case in the six counties)

looks like suzanne breens vendetta has clouded her objectivity and rationality.
she should go back to spending time drinking tea and plotting cougarisms along with iris !!   

[glens abu]

Oops - Sunday Tribune "might" be right :

Something stinks with the Tribune and Irish News stories on Briege Meehan and it's not just that they seem to have betrayed the victims right to anonymity. The infighting in the Meehan family has been well know for years, with many things alleged about all the siblings and the victims husband (a quick Google search reports him and her exiled from the north in 2002). There have been rumours of a long running feud between Briege Meehan and the victims brother (who has been appearing fairly frequently in Suzanne Breen articles recently). Add to this that the allegations have only been made after the death of Martin Meehan, there seems to be a lot of competing motivations on all sides of the story - maybe to many to allow for unbiased reporting. 

I'm not saying the victims allegations are false but that the whole unsavoury incident would have more chance of being sorted out away from the limelight, as the victim had requested.

Yeah your spot on big problems with this family for years and will be interesting to see outcome but at least they have rubbished Breens story that they informed Adams 

[longrunsthefox]

The stuff on Briege Meehan in the Irish News is horrific but how could she get  fair trial now. Anyway she is on 'sick leave'... sounds familiar that one.

[glens abu]

Like most people I assumed the abuser must be a man when I read the Truibune story and a shocking story it is.

most people assume its a man - usually right though !

suzanne breen has lost focus due to her hell bent crusade against adams !

what was he supposed to do ?
he is not the police force and secondly sf taking any action first would put the victims case let alone the accused's case into jeopardy.

theres a lot of accusations in the world out there but no one (police force) can do a thing without proof/evidence first (well since 1994 thats the case in the six counties)

looks like suzanne breens vendetta has clouded her objectivity and rationality.
she should go back to spending time drinking tea and plotting cougarisms along with iris !!   

She has had a vendetta against the Shinners and Adams for years does nobody ever wonder how she gets all the scoops from the micro Republican groups

[Evil Genius]

Oops - Sunday Tribune "might" be right :

Something stinks with the Tribune and Irish News stories on Briege Meehan and it's not just that they seem to have betrayed the victims right to anonymity.

Ah right, it's all the fault of the Tribune and the IN, then? 
You know, you're like the boy who farts in a crowded lift, then tries to point the finger at the man standing next to him - even when everyone else in the lift knows damned fine where the smell is coming from...

The infighting in the Meehan family has been well know for years, with many things alleged about all the siblings and the victims husband (a quick Google search reports him and her exiled from the north in 2002).

Really? That must be another thing poor Gerry never knew about, if his flowery tributes at the funeral of Martin M are anything to go by:

"But the light came back into his [Martin Meehan's] life when, in 1985, he married Briege and found his anam chara. They went on to have Bronagh. Together, Briege and Martin weathered many storms and were standard bearers for Sinn Féin in more than one election. Martin was elected as a local councillor in Antrim Council. And Briege continues to represent us on Newtownabbey Council. These were pioneering electoral initiatives in constituencies dominated by unionism.
Martin was a resolute advocate of Sinn Féin's peace strategy. He spoke forcefully and passionately at the special Ard Fheis earlier this year in support of our position on engaging with the police...
...Both he and Briege were stalwarts of our struggle. Just days before Martin died, I had occasion to phone Briege. She had just been told by the PSNI that she was under death threat. In the week before he died Martin was told of threats from those purporting to be republicans. On the night before his death he was outside his home looking for bombs after a number of bomb threats. I certainly don't want to raise the temperature on this issue but I think it's a disgrace that this family should be victimised by those who have no popular support whatsoever and not even the pretence of Martin's and Briege's records of activism"
http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/21635

Or this tribute from Brian Tumelty:
"There have been attacks on our activists by so-called republicans who have no vision. These people targeted Briege Meehan in the days before Martin Meehan died; in the days after Martin was buried, they threatened Briege. These people aren't fit to lace Briege Meehan's boots!"
http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/detail/24223

Makes them sound like Belfast's very own Waltons...

There have been rumours of a long running feud between Briege Meehan and the victims brother (who has been appearing fairly frequently in Suzanne Breen articles recently).

Ah, so it's a "feud" is it? Funny, but for me, that word conjures up visions of rival mafia gangs in Sicily, or the Earps and the Clantons at the OK Corral, or LA Gangs fighting to control the drugs trade etc. You know, two groups battling over territory or money etc, with each of them equally responsible for the dispute.
Seems to me to be rather different from the anger of someone who believes his sister was horribly abused by someone who used her [alleged abuser] position in the Community, her contacts and her outward "respectability" to avoid being held accountable for her (alleged) vile and disgusting crimes.

P.S. Of course the brother will have been featuring "fairly frequently" in SB's articles. She is a journalist researching a story and he is a source who might be expected to know what's going on in that story. You might as well wonder why Jesus Christ seems to appear "fairly frequently" in the New Testament...

Add to this that the allegations have only been made after the death of Martin Meehan, there seems to be a lot of competing motivations on all sides of the story - maybe to many to allow for unbiased reporting. 

"...after the death of"? MM died over a year ago. If this were something which they daren't print during his life for some reason, why wouldn't they have printed it soon after? Why would any newspaper sit on a story for 16 months, during which time any other media outlet could break it?
Or do you discount the rather more obvious explanation that the Tribune has been working on this for some time, but it took the revelations by Aine Tyrell to break before the alleged victim of Breige Meehan was prepared to co-operate fully with the Tribune etc?

Then again, that explanation wouldn't permit you to make snide insinuations as to the "bias" [sic] of SB and the Tribune...

I'm not saying the victims allegations are false

Nope, not even your neck is sufficiently brazen to allow that claim - though I've no doubt you would if you could. Still, if oblique references to the possibility of falsehood are all you can get away with, then that's what you have to work with...

but that the whole unsavoury incident would have more chance of being sorted out away from the limelight, as the victim had requested.

And, of course, that is your only concern over this matter, the best interests of the victim...

Sorry, Donagh Ulick, but you're not fooling anyone. 

P.S. It wasn't you went round West Belfast yesterday morning, hoovering up every copy of the Tribune in the local newsagents? If it was, I hope that buying newspapers on behalf of SF made a refreshing change from selling them for them! 

[Ulick]

Ah right, it's all the fault of the Tribune and the IN, then? 

What is? If you are going to start this please be clear about what you are alleging I am saying.

Really? That must be another thing poor Gerry never knew about, if his flowery tributes at the funeral of Martin M are anything to go by:
Makes them sound like Belfast's very own Waltons...

Irrelevant.

Ah, so it's a "feud" is it? Funny, but for me, that word conjures up visions of rival mafia gangs in Sicily, or the Earps and the Clantons at the OK Corral, or LA Gangs fighting to control the drugs trade etc. You know, two groups battling over territory or money etc, with each of them equally responsible for the dispute.

Well it has involved bomb attacks on peoples houses and other allegations I would rather not mention here.

Seems to me to be rather different from the anger of someone who believes his sister was horribly abused by someone who used her position in the Community, her contacts and her outward "respectability" to avoid being held accountable for her (alleged) vile and disgusting crimes.

That thought also occurs to me but I wouldn't like to say anyone could prove it either way at this moment.

P.S. Of course the brother will have been featuring "fairly frequently" in SB's articles. She is a journalist researching a story and he is a source who might be expected to know what's going on in that story. You might as well wonder why Jesus Christ seems to appear "fairly frequently" in the New Testament...

The implication she is relying too much on one source. This will obviously lead to credibility problems such as the denial by the victim in the Irish News today that she connected Gerry Adams - maybe if Breen was not so reliant on her single source she wouldn't have gotten this wrong in yesterdays Tribune.

"...after the death of"? MM died over a year ago. If this were something which they daren't print during his life for some reason, why wouldn't they have printed it soon after? Why would any newspaper sit on a story for 16 months, during which time any other media outlet could break it?
Or do you discount the rather more obvious explanation that the Tribune has been working on this for some time, but it took the revelations by Aine Tyrell to break before the alleged victim of Breige Meehan was prepared to co-operate fully with the Tribune etc?

Who knows? You certainly don't and neither do I because Breen's investigations are never transparent.

Then again, that explanation wouldn't permit you to make snide insinuations as to the "bias" [sic] of SB and the Tribune...

Snide insinuations as to the "bias"? That's laughable. I've been critical of Breen's style of investigation for years as I have also been of other sensationalist journalists who don't let the facts they garner get in the way of a 'good story'.

Nope, not even your neck is sufficiently brazen to allow that claim - though I've no doubt you would if you could. Still, if oblique references to the possibility of falsehood are all you can get away with, then that's what you have to work with...

Then like Breen you are engaging in pure speculation without having the facts to back up your claim. As an irrelevant personal attack on me, this paragraph is irrelevant to the topic but does highlight the somewhat low standards to which you seem to abide.   

And, of course, that is your only concern over this matter, the best interests of the victim...

Again you have no evidence to assume any different so see previous comment.

Sorry, Donagh, but you're not fooling anyone. 

No, a man would have to get up early in the morning to fool you, eh? Though why a man would bother I don't know.

P.S. It wasn't you went round West Belfast yesterday morning, hoovering up every copy of the Tribune in the local newsagents? If it was, I hope that buying newspapers on behalf of SF made a refreshing change from selling them for them! 

Again another personal attack on me for no reason. What exactly was the point of your post?

[Zapatista]

This page is to much work to read.

[pintsofguinness]

This page is to much work to read.

eg thinks every post has to be like a dissertation. 

[Zapatista]

eg thinks every post has to be like a dissertation.

true. I stopped reading all that a long time ago as by the time i finished reading the post and wanted respond to one point I had fiveteen points to respond to. It got tiresome.

It's a pity as I'd like to know what his view is but its too much work.

His constant use of quotation marks when he isn't quoting gets annoying too.

[pintsofguinness]

eg thinks every post has to be like a dissertation.

true. I stopped reading all that a long time ago as by the time i finished reading the post and wanted respond to one point I had fiveteen points to respond to. It got tiresome.

It's a pity as I'd like to know what his view is but its too much work.

His constant use of quotation marks when he isn't quoting gets annoying too.

He's the only poster on this board I don't read.  I manage maybe 2 or 3 lines sometimes but then I skip on, skiping through the replies to him as well.  Too much work!

[Myles Na G.]

PRESS RELEASE - STATEMENT FROM RAPE CRISIS CENTRE RE- SINN FEIN RESPONSE TO THE SUNDAY TRIBUNE.

The Rape Crisis And Sexual Abuse Centre is making the statement following allegations that Suzanne Breen and the Sunday Tribune have manipulated victims of sexual abuse.

The Rape Crisis Centre has known Suzanne Breen for over twenty years and can vouch for her honesty sincerity and courage as an investigative reporter.

She has done tremendous work in allowing survivors of rape and sexual abuse to tell their stories and has exposed cover-ups by those in power. She has always been sensitive professional and caring in her dealings with victims.

We have no reason whatsoever to believe that either Suzanne or the Sunday Tribune has manipulated any survivor of abuse.

We have spoken with Ms Cahill, grand niece of Joe Cahill (who has requested that her first name does not be printed) She is an intelligent professional woman, and she has given us her absolute assurance that it was she who contacted Suzanne Breen to bring her abuse, and the failure of the Republican Movement to deal with it appropriately to public attention.

Ms Cahill has asked us to provide her statement below, to clarify the issue.

"Over the last number of weeks, I watched Aine Tyrell give a very brave and very moving account of the alleged abuse she suffered. I also watched a number of media interviews with members of Sinn Fein afterwards. I was horrified.

I thought long and hard about telling my story. It wasn't an easy decision. I had every right to do so. I was most certainly not manipulated into giving any interview. I approached the Northern Editor, Suzanne Breen, of my own accord. I wanted other victims to know they were not on their own in cases like this, and I wanted them to know it is possible to recover. I know from the response that I received subsequently from other victims, that it was the right thing to do.

During the interview, Suzanne Breen helped me feel comfortable, spent considerable time with me, and respected and supported me. She acted in a truly ethical and moral fashion. The article printed was an accurate and truthful account of what happened me.

Sinn Fein has stated that Gerry Adams refutes the allegations I made. Gerry Adams first spoke to me about my case in August 2000. I had meetings with him at which I expressed my feelings on the way I was being treated until 2006. I have no interest in attacking Gerry Adams, I have been fond of him at times in my life, he was sympathetic at times. However, I stand by my assertion that my meetings with him were pointless, because there was no resolution


Unbeknownst to the IRA and Sinn Fein, I attended counselling during a good part of their investigation, which I arranged with a counsellor who I knew to be free from republican control. Thankfully that counsellor kept notes. Those notes authenticate my account. Medical records also verify parts of the story.

Sinn Fein has said it is considering suing the Sunday Tribune. If Sinn Fein is challenging the truth of my story, let them sue me. I thank the Sunday Tribune for interviewing me in a highly sensitive way – and for the support I received afterwards. To date, since my story was printed, no-one from Sinn Fein has contacted me to offer the same.

My surname is not important. It does not define me, but it does show that there was no hierarchy of victims. There seems to be however, a hierarchy when it came to perpetrators of abuse."

Ms ******* Cahill.

The Rape Crisis Centre would also like to add that we have seen copies of documents held by The Sunday Tribune and can verify that no other victim of abuse was manipulated. It would appear to the Rape Crisis Centre that survivors of rape and abuse are being manipulated, as are most of the Northern Press however, Suzanne Breen and the Sunday Tribune are not the culprits.