THE solicitor of a former Sinn Féin employee accused of damaging a portrait of a former DUP Lord Mayor at Belfast City Hall has described the allegation against his client as "entirely false, baseless, and malicious".
At a Stormont scrutiny committee on Wednesday, TUV MLA Timothy Gaston named the former employee who was alleged to have been involved in the incident as Naoise Ó Cuilín, a former Irish language translator at the Assembly and son of Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín.
Damage was caused to the portrait of Lord Wallace Browne following an event at Belfast City Hall last year.
On Monday, the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said it would not be bringing a prosecution against a man who had been previously suspended from his role in the Assembly and resigned from Sinn Féin. The PPS said there was insufficient evidence to sustain a prosecution.
In a statement, Niall Murphy from KRW Law said the allegations were "false, erroneous and irresponsible".
"It has been alleged – particularly on social media – that our client was 'involved in the damage' to the portrait of DUP peer Lord Wallace Browne at Belfast City Hall.
"This allegation is entirely false, baseless, and malicious.
"For absolute clarity, and on our client’s behalf, I state unequivocally that our client did not cause any damage whatsoever to the portrait of Lord Wallace Browne. Any suggestion to the contrary is wholly unfounded.
"Our client responded positively to a request by police to attend voluntarily for police interview and was prepared to give an account. However, the paucity of evidence against our client was such that I advised him that there was nothing requiring an account, and that he should therefore exercise his lawful right to silence. This statutory protection exists for all citizens.
"It is deeply improper that certain parties are now attempting to misrepresent the exercise of this legal right as implying guilt. Such insinuations are entirely rejected.
"Our client is a university graduate, has been in continuous employment since graduation, has no criminal record, and has never previously been accused of any criminal offence. The attempts to malign our client’s character in the absence of any evidence are wholly unjustified.
"Our client has worked continuously in the youth and community sector, on multiple projects which focus on addressing division, hate and sectarianism.
"Our client is appalled by the false commentary directed at him, particularly given the clear position arising from the investigation.
"Our client continues to take legal advice and reserves all rights in respect of the false claims and commentary published to date.
"It is wholly inappropriate for any individual, organisation, commentator, or public figure to identify someone as a “suspect” in circumstances where the Public Prosecution Service has determined that there is insufficient evidence to bring any criminal charge."
