A former regional journalist has denied child sex offences after a warrant was issued for his arrest over his failure to appear in court.

Michael McMonagle, who spent 10 years with the Derry Journal, faces three charges of sexual communication with a child under 16, causing a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

McMonagle appeared before magistrates at the city’s Bishop Street Courthouse, pictured, on Friday having failed to appear two days’ previously.

He had a visible medical dressing to his neck after what his solicitor described as “an episode when he ended up in hospital”.

Paddy McGurk, defending, said his client had meant no disrespect to the court by what happened two days prior to his eventual appearance but said the 41-year-old had found the situation ‘very difficult.’

He said that when he left his house for his initial scheduled appearance he found he had a flat tyre, even though his address was within walking distance of the court.

McMonagle left the Journal in 2014 and has since worked as a press officer for Sinn Fein and a communications and engagement manager for the British Heart Foundation.

The court heard on Friday that all of the offences were said to have occurred on dates between 1 May 2020, and 18 August 2021.

A police officer connected the accused to the charges and said police had concerns about bail due to the risk of harm primarily to himself and the possibility of a failure to appear based solely on what happened earlier this week, according to a report by the Journal.

Mr McGurk told the court his client, who denies all of the charges, takes the matter “very seriously” and added that it has been looming over him since February 2022.

Releasing McMonagle on bail to appear again on 14 September, District Judge Barney McElholm said that hopefully “things have settled down for him”.