SENIOR republican Padraic Wilson has denied the allegations made by Paudie McGahon insisting he never met the alleged rape victim or chaired an IRA 'kangaroo court'.
Mr McGahon told BBC Spotlight last night that in 2002 he was brought before an IRA 'kangaroo court' chaired by the Belfast republican after he told a Sinn Féin councillor about the alleged abuse.
The Co Louth man claimed that the man directing the meeting introduced himself as 'Padraic' and said he was the head of the 'Belfast Brigade' of the IRA.
At a second meeting he said the three-man IRA team headed up by 'Padraic' offered him three options; one for the IRA to shoot his abuser or to allow him and a second alleged victim to go into a room armed with whatever weapons they wanted and deal with him themselves. The third option was for the man be exiled from the country.
Mr McGahon said he did not want the man's murder on his conscience and so went for the third option "to get him out of the country". Wilson, who acted as a spokesman for the IRA prisoners during the peace negotiations, declined to take part in the Spotlight programme but issued a statement through his solicitor last night denying all the allegations against him.
It is not the first time Wilson has been accused of leading IRA kangaroo court investigations.
West Belfast woman Maíria Cahill has previously claimed that the veteran republican was involved in a similar IRA 'investigation' into allegations that she was raped by an IRA man when she was just 16.
He faced a membership charge in relation to Ms Cahill's claims but was acquitted in May last year after the prosecution offered no evidence in the case. Through his solicitor he denied allegations that he took part in an IRA investigation saying "there was no evidence to support it at all".
In a statement released yesterday he also denied all allegations including having ever met Mr McGahon or having dealings with the accused. "As a victim of alleged abuse Mr McGahon has every right to have his allegations pursued through due process. But I refute entirely the allegations that he has made against me. They are completely baseless and untrue. "I am aware that there is an ongoing gardaí investigation. I have previously through my legal representative offered to voluntarily attend for questioning to clear up this matter. That remains my position", he said.
