McGuinness defends Adams over Liam
Deputy First minister Martin McGuinness has backed Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams over his handling of sex abuse allegations against his brother, Liam.
Welcoming relatives of the Bloody Sunday victims to Stormont’s Parliament Buildings, Mr McGuinness attacked those he claimed were trying to use a deeply personal family matter to undermine Mr Adams leadership.
Liam Adams faces charges he sexually abused his daughter Aine Tyrell in the 1970s and 80s.
In a UTV documentary aired last December, Gerry Adams revealed he knew about the allegations since 1987.
He said statutory bodies, including the police, were told of the claims at that point.
Three years ago, after his niece went to police, Gerry Adams said he made a statement to the PSNI in support of her and against his brother.
Speaking for the first time on the controversy, Mr McGuinness said he had only become aware of the claims in the run-up to the UTV documentary.
“I only learned about the allegations against Liam Adams whenever it became clear to me a television programme was being made prior to Christmas and that’s the facts.”
He went on to back Gerry Adams’s position as leader of his party.
“Gerry Adams has made a massive contribution to the development of what is now clearly one of the most important peace processes in the world today and I think those that try to attack him on an issue that has massive ramifications for his siblings and his family do a grave injustice to the whole aspect of truth which is totally vital and key.”
Last week, Gerry Adams faced calls to explain how his brother chaired a local branch of Sinn Fein in his west Belfast constituency in 2000, three years after he said he had him expelled from party ranks.
The Sinn Fein president told UTV’s Insight programme that when he learned of his brother’s potential selection as an election candidate in Co Louth in 1997, he interfered to have him removed from the party.
Last week, Ian Paisley Jr asked a Stormont Assembly committee to investigate if Gerry Adams breached its rules by failing to act about his brother’s alleged sex abuse.
The DUP MLA submitted questions to Assembly Ombudsman Tom Frawley who will assess if the complaint merits being passed to the Assembly’s Committee on Standards and Privileges.
Mr Adams said he 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 Adams family have my total sympathy,” Mr McGuinness said on Tuesday.
