A former Sinn Féin Assembly employee “made no admissions” to attending an event he was pictured at, where a DUP mayoral portrait was damaged
The former party Assembly employee, understood to be the son of an MLA, will not face charges over the damage of the portrait of Lord Wallace Browne after the PPS said on Monday it did not have sufficient evidence to prosecute the case.
The former Sinn Féin member was suspended and resigned after making the party’s Chief Whip, Sinead Ennis, aware of his involvement in the incident in October 2024.
Part of the reasoning for the decision given by the PPS not to prosecute the case was that, according to a witness statement from the Chief Whip to the PSNI in February 2025, the individual “made no admission to being at the event and had denied any knowledge of the damage”.
The PPS admitted the only witness evidence available to the prosecution was the account of the Chief Whip, who was not in attendance at the event
When interviewed by police as a voluntary attender, the reported individual exercised his right not to answer questions himself.
However, The Irish News has seen a picture from the City Hall event, organised by Belfast-based Irish language organisation Glór na Móna, in which the individual interviewed by police is in attendance.
The picture was shared by Siobhán McCallin, who became a Sinn Féin councillor on Belfast City Council two months after the incident at City Hall.
The image was one of a number of images shared by the later west Belfast councillor, which also showed former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams at the event, as well as current Junior Minister Aisling Reilly.
The pictures, and the account from which they were posted, were later deleted by Ms McCallin.
Attempts to obtain a list of attendees to the event from Glor na Mona were “unsuccessful”, according to the PPS, who also said CCTV coverage of the area around the portrait had been “out of service for some time”.
In a statement on Monday, Sinn Féin said it “fully cooperated” with the investigation into the criminal damage.
It did not respond to further questions about the deletion of images of the reported individual at the event from social media, or why the only witness evidence available to the PPS was from a Sinn Féin representative who was not present at the event.
Cllr McCallin and Glór na Móna were both contacted for comment.
“The incident that occurred in the City Hall was a matter for the police to investigate and then for the PPS to decide on the appropriate course of action,” a Sinn Féin spokesperson said.
“This process has been thorough and has now reached a conclusion.
“Sinn Féin cooperated fully in this investigation.”
The DUP has said the handling of the case “makes a mockery of justice”.
“The decision not to prosecute in the Belfast City Hall portrait case is a shame and disgrace. A year after this incident, the public are left with no justice and no answers,” Philip Brett MLA said.
“It is appalling that damage to property inside one of the most secure public buildings in Northern Ireland cannot be traced or proven because of no CCTV, no attendee list, and no admissible evidence. That makes a mockery of justice.
“The First Minister and the Chief Whip should give a detailed account publicly of how this statement was made and Sinn Fein should publish their internal report. There are clear requirements on both the First Minister and the Chief Whip to uphold the rule of law.
“It is disappointing that when the First Minister had the chance today, she refused to name the individual responsible and any relationship that they have with any sitting Sinn Fein MLAs.
“The PPS may have applied its legal test correctly, but the wider handling of this case is a damning reflection of how accountability has been avoided rather than achieved. No one can look at these facts and feel confident that justice has been done.”