TAOISEACH SIMON HARRIS has said he is happy for a Fine Gael senator John McGahon to seek nomination from the party for the next general election, despite being ordered by the High Court to pay a man €39,000 over a late night assault outside a Dundalk pub in 2018.
Earlier this month, a jury ordered McGahon to pay Castleblaney farmer Breen White, who sued the senator for assault and battery.
According to the Irish Times, the jury found White had been assaulted and awarded €60,000, including €10,000 for aggravated damages. It apportioned blame at 65 per cent against McGahon and the other 35 per cent against the farmer.
McGahon (33) denied the allegations and said he was assaulted and acted in self defence.
In 2020, two years after the incident, McGahon was elected to the Seanad to serve on the Cultural and Educational Panel.
He was later cleared of a charge of assault causing harm in 2022 following a four day criminal trial at Dundalk Circuit Court over the incident.
Asked about the case today, Harris said what happened “wasn’t acceptable” and was “not acceptable to me”.
“I’ve spoken to him. I am satisfied that he is remorseful. I’m also satisfied that he’s given me an assurance that such an action will never happen again. I appreciate that. That’s important.
“It was important to me that I got that assurance. I’m also have to be conscious of the fact that this is something that happened prior to his time in office. It’s also something that he was found not guilty of in a criminal court in a jury of his peers. So yes, I’m happy for him to seek the nomination,” said Harris.
“There was clearly an incident, a scuffle, and he shouldn’t have put himself in that scenario. It was not assault as it was deemed by a criminal court not to be,” he said.
The Taoiseach said it is not a situation McGahon should find himself in again.
When asked if it is right that there be no political consequences, Harris said the consequence is that now the people of Louth Fine Gael, with all of the facts in front of them, will decide whether McGahon should be put on the Fine Gael ticket to run in the next general election.
“The fact that he was found not guilty by a criminal court of charges is a decisive factor in my mind, however, I also expect high standards here. I expect to never see a repeat of the incident, and I appreciate the remorse that he has shown. He needs to continue to show that by his actions in working even harder every day for people in Louth,” said the Taoiseach.
Being found not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing “has to stand for something”, Harris said.
McGahon has been an extraordinarily hard working member Seanad Eireann, added the Taoiseach, stating that as a young politician, he is “making a positive impact in his constituency”.
Harris said he has been “very clear” to McGahon that he never wants to see a repeat of such behaviours. “And he’s absolutely assured me,” he said.
The Taoiseach said the senator “was found not guilty of assault by a court in this country. That is a factual statement”.
“Had he been found guilty or any public representative be found guilty of a criminal charge that would be a very, very different matter,” the Taoiseach said.
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