Ex-RTÉ presenter Eoghan McDermott seeks to clear name after ‘false accusations’

Former RTÉ radio presenter Eoghan McDermott has moved to clear his name following a series of "false allegations" spread about him online last year.

Mr McDermott, who stopped working at 2FM almost a year ago, posted a legal letter on Twitter on Wednesday which addressed “unfounded allegations” including sexual assault and illegal drug use.

According to the correspondence, the accusations were leveled through an anonymous Twitter account and online in March of last year arising from a relationship between the unidentified poster and Mr McDermott in 2010.

Posting details of the letter, Mr McDermott said that “despite not being investigated or verified, these allegations were spread widely, the effects of which I am still processing. I hope [the content of the letter] can close this chapter”.

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He also said he would not comment further on the matter at the request of, and with consideration for, “the other party”.

The letter, issued by Mary Cowhey & Co Solicitors, said it was an effort by their client to make a number of “clarifications” and that there was an acceptance “serious falsehoods” had been made which had become a source of distress to Mr McDermott and others.

“For the record, our client accepts, without reservation, that she was above the age of consent at all times that she and Mr McDermott met or engaged in a physical relationship, contrary to her original claim,” it said.

Other charges subsequently admitted by the unnamed individual as being untrue included that Mr McDermott had “fled the country” and that named members of his family were in An Garda Síochána and had used their influence in order to pervert the course of justice.

‘Wrong’

“Our client also accepts that it was wrong for her to retweet and tweet unfounded allegations of sexual assault by third parties,” it continued, and that it was “entirely false to allege that your client engaged in illegal drug use in a work related video”. The content was deleted from Twitter and Reddit.

When contacted, RTÉ’s corporate communications manager Neil O’Gorman said the broadcaster had “no comment”.

Solicitors for Mr McDermott also declined to comment, as did Mary Cowhey & Co Solicitors when asked to verify the correspondence.

In March of last year, RTÉ confirmed the presenter, who had been absent from the 2FM Breakfast Show for a number of weeks, would not be returning and that his contract had been due to expire.

“RTÉ is developing a new direction for the 2FM Breakfast Show which will be revealed in the coming weeks,” it said.