Cork Child Sex Abuse Investigated

An investigation into allegations of child abuse at a Cork boarding school has been welcomed.

Now underway the investigation will focus on the handling of clerical child sex abuse allegations by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart congregation while managing their Coláiste an Chroí Naofa school outside Cork city.

The Gardai and the Health Service Executive (HSE) has welcomed the enquiry and asked anyone with information or a concern regarding the school to come forward.

The Gardai are currently conducting a criminal investigation into the past events whilst the HSE are making attempts to identify any children who may still be at risk.

The school, formally run by a religious order, had five historic complaints against the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart within the last month, as well as those which prompted the investigation.

The HSE initiated this inquiry into the boarding school following what it describes as "recent concerns" over the protection of children who had attended the school.

It emphasised that the school in question is now a day school under separate management and these allegations are related to the time when the Missionary Order ran the facility.

It is understood that the inquiry is being conducted under Section 3 of the Child Care Act, which obliges the HSE to take steps it considers necessary to identify children who are currently at risk.

Last night both the Minister for Children Frances Fitzgerald and Minister for Justice Alan Shatter also welcomed decision by the HSE and an Garda Síochána to investigate the allegations.

Last night Ms Fitzgerald said she met Gordon Jeyes, the HSE national director who initiated the investigation, to discuss the issues involved.

The Minister said she felt that it was important to state they have been assured "that none of those against whom allegations have been made are currently engaged in any work activities which bring them into contact with children".

However Fianna Fáil Senator, Mark Daly, previously named a priest who had taught at the school. Despite seven cases of alleged child abuse against the priest being reported to four different Garda stations between 1986 and 2008, the Director of Public Prosecutions declined to pursue a criminal prosecution against him.

Mr Daly said the Sacred Heart Missionaries had settled a civil case in relation to this priest before it was brought to court and accused them of failure to enforce restrictions placed upon the priest.

Last year, he said, the priest had been advertised as spiritual director for a pilgrimage abroad, where he could have unsupervised access to children.

The investigation is currently ongoing and the inquiry has the full co-operation of the Gardaí.

(LB/CD)