Assembly told portrait damaged by Sinn Féin MLA's son

The portrait of former Belfast lord mayor Lord Browne was back on display in December 2024

The person who attacked a portrait of a former DUP lord mayor of Belfast is the son of a Sinn Féin MLA, the assembly has heard.

Sinn Féin was accused of covering up the fact by DUP assembly member Philip Brett.

It's the latest claim in a continuing row over vandalism of a painting of former DUP Lord Mayor Lord Wallace Browne in Belfast City Hall last October.

A Sinn Féin employee at Stormont later resigned over the incident, which was investigated by police as a hate crime.

'High-profile incident'

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said there was no reasonable prospect of conviction as "key gaps remained" in the available evidence.

This included "no CCTV coverage" of the area around the portrait as the nearby camera had been "out of service for some time".

The PPS also said the Sinn Féin employee's resignation "contained no admission".

It also said a man interviewed by police "exercised his right not to answer questions".

"This was a high-profile incident which generated understandable concerns and commentary about how and why the portrait came to be damaged," a PPS spokesperson said.

"It is understandable that the suspension and resignation of a Sinn Féin member raised expectations that a prosecution would likely follow.

"However, prosecutors can only initiate proceedings based on the evidence that is available and in this case there were significant evidential gaps which undermined the prospects of a conviction.

"Despite further investigative enquiries being made by police at the request of PPS, it was not possible to overcome these evidential shortcomings."

The painting was damaged in Belfast City Hall in October 2024

However, Brett, an MLA for North Belfast, told the assembly: "Mr speaker, there is an attempt here by Sinn Féin to cover up the fact that one of their sitting MLAs, their son, attacked a portrait of a former lord mayor of this city."

Justice Minister and Alliance Party leader Naomi Long said: "What's important here is that due process was followed.

"It was investigated by the police and it went to the PPS and the PPS judged that there wasn't enough evidence for them to be able to bring a prosecution," she added.

"I don't think it helpful that other people decide to prosecute this through the court of public opinion."

A Sinn Féin spokesperson said: "The incident that occurred in the city hall was a matter for the police to investigate and then for the PPS to decide on the appropriate course of action.

"This process has clearly been thorough-going and has now reached a conclusion. Sinn Féin co-operated fully in this investigation."