Offaly TD denies bullying allegations

OFFALY TD Carol Nolan has said she will fully defend High Court proceedings being taken against her by a former constituency worker over allegations of bullying.

Deputy Nolan is one of a number of defendants in a case taken by Anne Marie Ennis, a one-time Sinn Fein local election candidate.

The other defendants are Peter Judge, former chair of Sinn Fein in Offaly, Pat Doherty, a retired Sinn Fein MP, Arthur Morgan, a retired TD, and Sue Ramsey, a former MLA.

Deputy Nolan is a former Sinn Fein TD for Offaly who now sits as an Independent Dail deputy for Laois-Offaly having parted company with the party in 2018 because of her opposition to abortion.

The Sunday Times reported on Sunday that court records show the case taken by Ms Ennis is a personal injury action under Section 17 of the 2003 Personal Injuries Act, which deals with claims made where the alleged harm is wholly or in part made up of psychological damage.

Speaking to the Sunday Times on Friday evening, Ms Ennis declined to talk in detail about her legal case.

“It’s quite emotional,” she said. “It’s taken a lot out of me.”

When the Tullamore Tribune contacted Mr Judge on Saturday he said he had not heard anything about the legal action, which was filed by Ms Ennis on Thursday.

“I'm absolutely astounded. It makes no sense to me whatsoever,” he said.

“I had got on very well with Anne Marie. Everything I have done for the party in the past six years has been on a voluntary basis.”

In a statement released to the Tribune on Monday evening, Deputy Nolan said because she had not seen the proceedings she was unaware of what claims are being made by Ms Ennis, though she understood from the article published that the claim is seeking damages for personal injury.

“I am at a loss to understand how any such allegations could be made against me and it goes without saying that if there are any such court proceedings they will be fully defended by me,” said the TD.

“In the circumstances it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment until the matter is resolved.”

In a short statement, a Sinn Fein spokesperson said: “Anne Marie Ennis was never an employee of Sinn Fein. The trustees of Sinn Fein have been attached to the case. We have no further comment to make.”

Ms Ennis is a resident of Walsh Island and was an unsuccessful candidate in the Tullamore Electoral Area in last year's Offaly County Council elections.

She polled lowest of all the candidates in the Tullamore area following the decision of the 2014 council election poll topper for Sinn Fein, Brendan Killeavy, not to defend his seat.

Mr Judge had initially been director of elections for Ms Ennis but left that role when he was selected by Sinn Fein to contest the local elections in the Moate area in Westmeath.

He now works as a voluntary political organiser in the Longford-Westmeath constituency and was involved in the successful general election campaign this year for Sorca Clarke.

Earlier this year it was reported that 27 elected representatives of Sinn Fein had left the party in recent years over bullying and other complaints.

The party has denied a culture of bullying exists within the party.

Though Sinn Fein lost all three of its council seats in Offaly in the 2019 local elections, it had its best ever general election result last year and Portlaoise TD Brian Stanley topped the poll in Laois-Offaly.

Sinn Fein came under attack in the Dail when it brought a motion of no confidence in Leo Varadkar, the Tanaiste, over his leaking of a GPs contract.

Cavan-Monaghan TD Heather Humprheys, the Minister for Community and Rural Development, described Sinn Fein as the “the party of multiple mysterious bank accounts, the party that denigrates victims, the party that operates under a toxic culture of secrecy, bullying and intimidation, and, most of all, the party of rank hypocrisy”.