Suffer little children ! Who will protect you ?

national | crime and justice | opinion/analysis

Sunday March 11, 2007 21:20

by Louise Gaffney

The innocence and wonder of children is something that sane and decent people strive to cherish and protect. The ubiquity of terms like "child abuse" in the media can lead us to almost become innured to the reality of these repellent crimes. Rational adults expect law agencies to have such crimes prioritised and investigations prosecuted with professional "zeal" for want of a better term. Alas what happens when a cloud of doubt is cast over those very agencies and professions whose remit is to protect the weak and the vulnerable ?

A Garda is currently under investigation for his part in organising the abuse and rape of minors in this state. Two days later a civil servant from the office of the Chief State Solicitors Office is arrested in relation to the same matter. In January Austrian authorities announced that Gardai had been alerted in relation to padeophile rings and the Gardai upon checking their records informed the media that the matter had indeed "not" been "actioned" by them. A number of individuals have been granted annoymity by the courts; among them a garda officer and a Church of Ireland cleric (see Phoenix March 9 th 2007 and 4th July 4th 2003).

Judge Brian Curtin's case was dismissed due to an alleged flaw in the search warrant (despite case law from the Supreme Court in 1965 which held it admissable,given the public interest, that a case proceed in spite of an erroneous search warrant, ie the wrong address on the warrant.) In the case of a Garda Darrach Kennedy,Judge Michael White issued an order that led to the charges being dropped. (see Phoenix March 9th 2007).

Mr McDowell is this meant to be the settled order of things ?

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Comments (2 of 2)

officials are all in on it

by anony moose

Fri Mar 16, 2007 14:04

The ombudsman did nothing in several cases of rape/molesting that I know of and/or experienced first hand.
The contents of this report contain gross descriptions but are the truth and therefore should not be hidden.
A garda was seen driving of with a child. The father and another family member stopped the car and got the child out before the garda could have his way with her. The gardai told the family to shut up or else...
A woman got raped and evidence was left on the scene but gardai did nothing as the man was of good character. The man told the woman how he had raped young girls almost every week and his son liked to do the same but that his son lived in London. He told details of how the girls would try to get away from him and how he liked to chase them and grab them and hurt them. He liked it when they had some hair growing in certain areas but didn’t mind if they had none yet. The gardai told the woman to keep her mouth shut or else she would disappear forever. The man still roams the area…every week.

What of the Garda Ombudsman ?

by Mick Butler

Mon Mar 12, 2007 14:41

It is all very disturbing to say the least. I recall the atrocious rapes of Cynthia Owen in her home in Dalkey culminating in the murder of her new born baby when she was eleven, yes eleven years of age, This was reported to the Gardai but was not investigated by them. Another case of a henious crime being "not actioned" as the writer above puts it.
Put it together with Terence Wheelock, 14 year old Brian Rossiter and many many more deaths in Garda custody and the picture is truly an appalling vista. Will this Garda Ombudsman coming into operation in May investigate this material ? This concerns all people left , right or centre of the political spectrum and it should be made an election issue.

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Suffer little children ! Who will protect you ?

Comments (2 of 2)