Party must expedite inquiry after second grooming claim

A SECOND alleged victim of a predatory politician in one of the political parties – a man who is accused of opportunistically using social media to groom politically engaged teenage boys into sending him sexually explicit images of themselves – has come forward because of concerns that the internal party inquiry into the situation is taking too long.

Gardaí only became involved only after this newspaper published allegations – from an initial complainant – in August it appears, although for some reason the party will not openly explain when exactly.

While the whip was withdrawn from the man in question pending an internal disciplinary procedure, he is still listed as a party officer and has represented it at official functions.

We appreciate that such a procedure has to follow due process, and the party involved may be acting with an abundance of caution in the matter. By the same token, the outcome does not have to be contingent on a criminal prosecution when they have other tools at their disposal in the meantime.

The party has prima facie evidence of wrongdoing and it should be considered on its own merits, separate and parallel to any legal proceedings.

Here was a man who evidence suggests quietly gained the confidence of a 16-year-old by claiming to be 18, before asking for photos of the boy not just at that age but also when he was younger. He also asked if the boy wanted to view ‘hot vids of young [boys]’ himself. The red flags raise themselves.

When this kind of behaviour was discovered and brought to the attention of the party, it should have warranted the immediate attentions of An Garda Síochána and other agencies. There is a real need for all organisations to take seriously the dangers posed by modern technology.

We need to get serious about protecting our youth, and creating spaces in which our younger citizens can safely engage in civic discourse on issues that affect their lives without being preyed upon by adults using fake profiles and avatars.

The fact that a politician allegedly used forums designed for such discourse to satiate nefarious predilections makes such actions doubly abhorrent. Only for the fact he appears to have slipped up and included information on an alias that matched contact details in the real world, he would remain free to roam in search of more unsuspecting prey. Now, it is up to his party, which thus far has been spared identification and the negative publicity that would accompany it, to act decisively. They should not believe this anonymity will protect them from the grave repercussions of any failure to appropriately address this issue.

Politicians endlessly complain, and rightly so, about the abuse they face on social media but they are adults and even though this is reprehensible they at least have some social tools with which to counter it. Despite the fact they might believe themselves to be mature, our younger citizens still are negotiating social interactions, and in a way most adults today never had to, and therefore are a great deal more vulnerable when they are online.

Because of this, our political parties must give a strong lead and act with greater zeal. Their internal investigations must be expedited and brought to a just conclusion – separate to any potential criminal proceedings.