Donaldson, wearing a dark grey suit and a pink tie, sat in the dock at the back of the court with his arms folded while the judge delivered his final remarks to the jury earlier in the day.

The man pleaded guilty to three counts of sexually assaulting a girl, two counts of sexual exploitation of the girl, and one count of “child pornography”.

MLAs have been told that the issue has been reported to the PSNI.

The Sinn Féin president has hit out at the two former party press officers who provided a reference for McMonagle.

The Sinn Féin leader has been under increasing pressure, including from Taoiseach Simon Harris, to address the controversy publicly.