Councillor given one-month suspension over social media post

A Londonderry councillor has been suspended for one month over a social media post commenting on an alleged animal cruelty incident.

Shauna Cusack, who sits as an independent on Derry City and Strabane District Council, was sanctioned by the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (Nipso).

BBC News NI understands the comment at the centre of the Nipso investigation included a reference to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

The investigation found she breached code of conduct rules by disclosing information that she "should reasonably have known to be confidential".

The investigation looked at whether the information shared "had the potential to create risk to individuals who had no connection to the alleged animal cruelty incident".

Cusack, who has been a councillor since 2013, became an independent after she resigned from the SDLP in 2024 over criticism of the party's selection process for the role of mayor.

BBC News NI has contacted Cusack for comment.

Nipso said it began investigating after a complaint from a member of the public.

The organisation's adjudication commissioner looked at whether by disclosing confidential information in a public forum, Cusack was "considered to have brought her position as an elected representative into disrepute".

During the investigation, the commissioner considered submissions from Cusack, including her claim that the information was already in the public domain.

The Nipso investigation acknowledged that, as a political representative, Cusack "had an enhanced right to comment on an issue of alleged animal cruelty" as those issues, as well as "the expectation of a fair and impartial police investigation, are matters of public importance".

However, he did not accept this as a right "to disclose the information relating to others who had no involvement in the alleged incident".

The commissioner stated that Cusack "ought to have raised her concerns in a more measured and neutral way, and one which avoided potentially placing individuals at risk and contributing to an already hostile online commentary".

In his findings, the commissioner said adhering to the code of conduct is essential in a democratic society "to maintain standards in public office and to protect the rights and reputations of others".

The date for the councillor's one-month suspension to begin has yet to be confirmed.