Sinead O'Connor Predicted VIP Child Sex Scandal

Irish singer SINEAD O'CONNOR insists she has known about allegations of a VIP paedophile ring at the heart of the British Establishment "for years". Does her interest in CSA stem from having suffered child sex abuse herself?

Investigators are probing claims of a huge child abuse conspiracy involving some politicians and other public figures dating back to the 1960s.

It is alleged a dossier naming some of those involved was destroyed during a cover-up, and O'Connor - a veteran campaigner against child abuse - has now spoken out to insist the paedophile ring was an open secret in Westminster and those involved have been protected by a "hundred-year silence order" which buries the evidence.

She tells Q magazine, "(I've been) educating myself, offstage... (I've known about it) for years. Everyone knows about that... I didn't used to believe in Satan and now I f**king do."

O'Connor has occasionally encountered controversy, (pffft!) partly due to her statements and gestures—such as her ordination as a priest despite being a woman with a Roman Catholic background—and her strongly expressed views on organised religion, women's rights, war, and child abuse.

Sinead on SNL Ripping the Pope

Sinead O'Connor is a foul-mouthed, ordained, Catholic priest who ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II while saying "evil" during a song on SNL. The stunt was not expected by SNL, and it began a very public spat between her and Madonna. 

Madonna is hardly a role model herself; the self-proclaimed Christian displays morals that might be in the same category as an alleycat. Her song "Like a Prayer" resulted in a music video that featured many Catholic symbols such as stigmata and cross burning, and a dream about making love to a saint, leading the Vatican to condemn the video.

Madonna

Singer Sinead O'Connor has caused uproar in Ireland after becoming a priest. O'Connor became Mother Bernadette Mary at a ceremony staged by the breakaway Latin Tridentine church in Lourdes.

Although her status is not recognised by the mainstream Catholic Church, O'Connor has sought to make amends by apologising for tearing up a portrait of the Pope, and donating IR£150,000 to the bishop who ordained her.

Do you think there is any chance that both of these icons were sexually abused as children? I would put money on it. Their vulgar and erratic behaviour is not at all in conflict with the symptoms of having been abused as a child.

At any rate, it seems very unlikely that this whole VIP gay pedophile scandal has any chance of being swept under the rug. Minister May needs to get her act in gear.

Child Sex Abuse Sites to be Blocked by Broadband Provider

Good news today from the Irish Times

An Garda Síochána and UPC today announced the introduction of new safeguards to block access to internet sites containing child pornography.

UPC, one of Ireland’s largest broadband providers, will restrict access to websites containing child sexual abuse material based on a list of domains or URLs provided by gardaí and Interpol. The list will be constantly updated in order to capture new sites as they arise.

Internet users who visit these sites, either deliberately or accidentally, will be restricted from accessing the site and an advisory message will instead be displayed outlining the reason why access is being blocked.

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has welcomed the development as a “notable achievement” in combating child pornography.

“Child abuse is a heinous crime and its depiction on the internet compounds the offence,” she said.
“The close co-operation with law enforcement which was launched today will reduce the amount of child abuse material which will be available on the internet in Ireland. It will also reinforce the message that the viewing or possession or indeed trading in child abuse material is simply not acceptable, and that is a message we need to get out loud and clear.”

The Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan commended UPC for putting significant resources into this valuable restriction which is expected to play a valuable role in tackling access to child sexual abuse material online.

However, she also said that gardaí “fully recognise that others who wish to view, distribute and make this vile material will use different means to access it and spread it online,” and that the memorandum of understanding signed between UPC and gardaí was just one of a range of measures to tackle the production, distribution and possession of child pornography.

UPC Ireland CEO Magnus Ternsjö said the memorandum of understanding adhered fully to data protection legislation and did not provide for the transfer of user data to the authorities, while users’ IP addresses and the identities of consumers who access the domains is not stored.

Other internet service providers have also indicated their intention to sign up to similar restrictions.

Brilliant New Tinder Campaign Sparks Interest in Sex Trafficking Crimes

As evidenced by the countless screenshots of funny / weird / comically stereotypical Tinder profiles found online, you never really know what you're going to find behind that next hopeful swipe while using the mobile dating app.

Somewhere between that photo of a guy holding up a fish and a hamburger with googly eyes could be the love of your life — or, if you're in Ireland, a powerful message about human rights.

This week, the Immigration Council of Ireland launched an innovative Tinder-based ad campaign to create awareness about the crimes behind sex trafficking and prostitution.

Working on behalf of the council, Marketing agency eightytwenty has seeded Ireland's Tinder network with what they describe as "a large number" of fake profiles designed to look like those of sex trafficking victims.

Each profile contains a series of photos that get progressively more graphic with each swipe.

Most of the models used for the project appear well-dressed and relatively happy in the first photo, but as the gallery progresses, she is seen in various states of undress with bruises, cuts and other signs of abuse.

The last photo in the series is a call to action.

"Sex Trafficking victims have no options. You have the option to help end it now," the photo reads, linking to a website that contains more information.

“Sex trafficking is one of the most lucrative crimes with the sums involved on a par with those for drug smuggling and gun running, yet many people are not aware that it is a reality in communities right across Ireland," said Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of the Immigrant Council of Ireland in a press release. "The Immigrant Council of Ireland is committed to using every possible opportunity to increase awareness about the activities of the thugs behind these crimes and the impact on their victims."

On why the agency chose Tinder as a platform, Cathal Gillen of eightytwenty told The Daily Dot that the dating app "was chosen as it allowed us to create a standout campaign with cut through in a unique and novel way."

"[Tinder] allowed us reach an audience that is often difficult to reach through more traditional media," Gillen continued. "The idea stems from the fact that Tinder profiles are stories of people in their own right, and we could use this to create a form of native advertising (at no media cost)."

According to the campaign's press release, feedback from Ireland's Tinder users so far has been "great."

With an estimated 50 million active users worldwide, Tinder has become an incredibly powerful platform in terms of connecting people and, increasingly, for the purpose of spreading information.

Earlier this year, a group of advocates used the dating app quite succesfully to raise awareness about men's health through a fake nurse profile.

Fake Tinder nurse promotes men's health awareness
Going to the doctor for a prostate exam doesn't rank very high on the average man's list of "fun things to do." Cruising Tinder to chat with beautiful women, on the other hand...

According to Tinder's most recently released figures, the app is currently processing more than 1 billion swipes per day worldwide.

Turn Off the Red Light

It's nice to think that perhaps at least some of those swipes are for a good cause.

Gerry Adams Apologizes in Parliament for Mistreatment of IRA Sex Abuse Victims

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has apologised to sex abuse victims "let down" by the IRA during the Troubles.

Mr Adams was speaking in the Irish parliament where the case of Belfast woman Maíria Cahill was discussed.

Ms Cahill claims she was raped as a teenager by a suspected IRA member and said she was later interrogated by the IRA who covered up what happened.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny described Ms Cahill as "a force to be reckoned with".

Mr Adams said the IRA had sought to deal with some cases of abuse when asked to do so by families and victims.

"While the IRA volunteers were acting, in my opinion, in good faith, the IRA was ill-equipped to deal with such matters," he said.

"IRA actions against such sex offenders failed victims and that is a matter for profound regret from me and other republicans.

"So I'm acutely conscious that there may be victims who were let down or failed by the IRA's inability to resolve these cases.

"I want to apologise to those victims. Those who wish should come forward now and report their complaints to the appropriate authorities. "

Gerry Adams apologizing to sex assault victims mistreated by the IRA

Earlier, Mr Kenny described Ms Cahill as a very courageous woman after meeting her in Dublin.

He said Ms Cahill's story involved the leadership of the IRA.

"The most powerful people in the IRA conspired in this and I think it is reprehensible that a young woman of this courage and bravery should be kicked about in the last week," he said.

He said a number of other alleged victims of IRA abuse had contacted Ms Cahill with their stories.

Mr Kenny compared the IRA's handling of abuse cases and moving suspected abusers to other jurisdictions with past practice in the Catholic Church.

"These very much mirrored in what has happened here with IRA sexual abusers," he said.

He challenged Mr Adams to reveal if IRA members who were believed to have carried out abuse were exiled to the Republic of Ireland.

"Are those people still here? Is this true? Do you know of any activities they are involved in now?" he said.

"These are the most serious matters for everybody. Sexual abuse was rampant in many sectors in Irish society, not alone in paramilitary organisations, but you have responsibility for this, but we need to know."

Maíria Cahill met with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny on Wednesday
He called her, 'A force to be reckoned with'

On Tuesday, the Public Prosecution Service announced a review into three court cases linked to Ms Cahill's claims.

Charges were dropped against those said to have been involved in the IRA inquiry and the alleged rapist was acquitted.

Earlier this month, the Belfast woman waived her right to anonymity to speak to BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight programme.

She said that in 1997, when she was 16, she was subjected to a 12-month cycle of sexual abuse, including rape, by a man who was believed to be a member of the IRA.

Ms Cahill described how the IRA questioned her repeatedly, often several nights a week, for months about the abuse allegations, before summoning her to a meeting with her alleged abuser in early 2000.

Ms Cahill later went to the police, and a case was brought against Martin Morris.

All charges were dropped and Mr Morris was acquitted after Ms Cahill withdrew her evidence.

I'm sure there is a story there! It's curious why Ms Cahill met with the Irish PM and Gerry Adams apologized in the Irish parliament, when the abuse occurred in Northern Ireland.

Anyway, Mairia Cahill is my hero for the week. God bless her in her attempts to get justice for herself and other girls/women who were sorely abused in 'the troubles'.

Christian Brothers Poison Spread to Tasmania

Two Tasmanian men who have appeared before the royal commission into child sexual abuse are urging others to come forward.

The men say they were victims of historic child sexual abuse at St Virgil's school in Hobart in the 1950s.

They want to convince witnesses to come forward to the Federal Government's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Sexual Abuse.

Tony Rayner was just seven years old when he was sexually assaulted,
raped and abused by 'Christian' Brothers

Tasmania remains the only state or territory where the commission has not held an open session, but it plans to return and take formal evidence in an open hearing before the end of the year.

The ABC's 7.30 Tasmania spoke with two victims who spoke to the commission in private sessions about paedophile Christian Brother Patrick Timothy Farrell, who taught at the college in the 1950s.

Christian Brothers are an embarrassment to Christ and to every real Christian. They were involved in countless cases of child sex abuse - some of the biggest ever. What a disgrace.
Check these out:
4 homes in Australia and Here
In England
In the USA
In Canada

The Christian Brothers in Ireland continue to seek out of court settlement for historical claims initiated by survivors of sexual assault by Brothers committed in Day schools managed by the order in Ireland.

Brother Farrell was the head of the junior dormitory where the sexual assaults took place.

Tony Rayner was just seven years old when he was sent to board at St Virgil's in 1956.

It was there, he said, he was sexually assaulted, raped and abused.

"This destroyed my life, it destroyed a couple of the other chaps' lives," Mr Rayner said.

Mount Cashel Newfoundland, Canada where the first big CSA scandal broke

"[Brother Farrell's] bedroom was inside the dormitory and you could only access it through the dormitory and the dormitory wasn't a particularly private place."

Mr Rayner claimed it was in Brother Farrell's bedroom where he was first sexually assaulted at age seven and later raped at age eight.

"At about 9:10 one night he came to my bed and and said, 'right you were told to wait outside my room, into my room now,'" Mr Rayner said.

"I assumed I was going to be punished for something, I didn't know for what.

"But that often happened actually, the brothers often flogged you and said 'oh, it was another boy, sorry about that'. They really were extraordinarily violent."

It was then when Mr Rayner said he was raped.

"He did an awful lot of physical damage to my body," he said.

"I went back to my bed sobbing and crying and all the boys, well they didn't know what had happened, but they heard me screaming.

"I mean, I'd been screaming for five minutes at that stage, perhaps 10 minutes, a long time."

Appeal for witnesses

In June, Mr Rayner appeared before the royal commission.

It was a private session and his evidence can therefore only be used as background information in the commission's investigations.

He said he hoped the royal commission would return to Tasmania and hold a public session, so the wider public could learn of what happened at St Virgil's.

"I've come here to tell my story in order to get people to come forward, to go the royal commission," he said.

"I want the people who were adults then, I mean some of the maids would only be in their early 70s, I want them to come forward and say, 'yep, I was there and it happened'.

"The simple thing is we need evidence. We need good people to come forward. If good people don't come forward, evil flourishes."

The royal commission had its funding increased earlier this year.

It will now run for a further two years and has the capacity to hold 30 more open sessions and 3,000 private hearings.

Mr Rayner made a desperate plea for witnesses to come forward to share anything they remember.

"The royal commission are wonderful, they will look after you," he said.

Mr Rayner was one of two victims to come forward to 7.30 Tasmania to share their stories.

The second victim's identity has been concealed.

About 12 months after Mr Rayner was raped, the second victim was sexually abused by Brother Farrell, also in his bedroom.

"And in the end ... three of us got together and told our parents what was going on," the second victim said.

When the second victim's father went to the school and demanded answers, he was told Brother Farrell was no longer in the state.

"And that was that, that was the end, they moved him on to somewhere else," the second victim said.

'They covered it up', Rayner says

The relocation of the Christian Brother was one example both victims used to allege a cover-up at the school.

Tony Rayner believed some staff at the school knew what was happening.

"They covered it up, and because they covered it up for 12 months, at least one of those boys, possibly two or possibly three of them, I'm not too sure, suffered appallingly," he said.

In a statement Christian Brothers Oceania Province said it had "concluded some settlements following allegations of abuse at St Virgil's dating back many decades".

"These complaints are taken very seriously, as indeed, are all abuse allegations that are received," it said.

"We reiterate our apology to those who have been harmed at any of our institutions no matter where or how long ago that abuse occurred.

"We recognise this inquiry provides a unique opportunity for those who have suffered abuse to have their voices heard and to provide evidence of the impact of the abuse on their lives."

_Anyone in need of assistance should contact Lifeline on 131 114 or the Royal Commission on 1800 099 340._*

Indian Cricket Star Uday Joshi in Last Chance Child Sex Abuse Appeal

An Indian cricket star who was found guilty of sexually abusing a child in Northern Ireland is making one last attempt to appeal his conviction.

Uday Joshi is currently serving a six-year sentence in HMP Magilligan after a jury found him guilty in February 2012 of serious sex offences against a teenage boy, dating back to 1979.

He appealed against his conviction but this was rejected in September 2012.

However, his legal team claim there is new evidence which calls into question the case against Joshi, and they have just cleared a major hurdle in their efforts to launch a final attempt at overturning the verdict.

His case had been referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which will decide whether or not there is enough fresh evidence to warrant a second appeal.

Around half of cases received by the CCRC are rejected during an initial review stage.

Joshi’s case has now cleared this stage, and it is expected that in October an investigator will be appointed to comb through the case in more detail to decide whether an appeal should go ahead.

New evidence which Joshi’s legal team are relying upon centres on the night in 1979 when the 13-year-old victim said he had first been abused.

Joshi was coaching cricket at the time, and it was the Sunday night before a new round of training was to begin.

During the trial, the court heard that Joshi and the victim’s father had been in the bar of Woodvale Cricket Club that evening, whilst the boy waited outside.

The jury was told Joshi suggested the boy could sleep at his grandmother’s house where he himself was staying, and it was there, later that night, that the cricketer invited the child into bed and sexually abused him.

However, Joshi’s legal team argues that this account cannot be accurate.

They have tracked down a member of the cricket club who has “categorically stated” that on Sundays their club bar was closed, something which it is claimed “undermines totally” the victim’s account.

There is no time-frame for a decision by the CCRC.

But if an appeal were to be granted, his solicitor Charlene Graham says it would be the only remaining opportunity Joshi will get to clear his name.

However, she does not believe the chances are good.

She told the News Letter: “I think unfortunately when you look at the statistics coming back from the CCRC, cases referred back to the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland are few and far between – and this really is this man’s last chance.”

During Joshi’s trial, the court was told he had an unblemished character, and sporting and educational figures stepped forward to vouch for him. His lawyers had also said important records from police and the cricket club are missing and that there were inconsistencies in evidence before the court.

The pensioner has always protested his innocence. However, dismissing his appeal in 2012, a trio of judges said they were “not left with any sense of unease about the verdict”.

Calls for Child Sex Inquiry to Include Kincora Boys Home and Links to MI5

Allegations that abuse at Kincora Boys' Home was linked to British intelligence services "need to be investigated", a former PSNI assistant chief constable has said.

Alan McQuillan said he had no proof of security service involvement, but that the claims were "potentially credible".

It follows calls for the east Belfast home to be included in a government inquiry into child sex abuse.

In 1981, three senior care staff at the home were jailed for abusing 11 boys.

Kincora Boys Home 1982

Speaking on Radio Ulster's Nolan Show on Wednesday, Alan McQuillan said, considering the context around the time that the abuse was alleged to have occurred, he believed it was "potentially credible" that intelligence services may have been involved.

He said: "The allegation is there and it needs to be investigated. I do not know if it did happen, but I have to say, due to everything that was going on at the time, it could have happened.

"Effectively when Kincora was at its peak we had undeclared martial law here, the police service had collapsed, the army were in charge of security.

"There were all sorts of very strange things and some very strange people operating in Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland, as part of the security operations.

"There are issues around the circumstances in which the police investigation in the mid-70s was closed down. All of that needs to be opened up and examined."

Amnesty International and politicians, including the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, have already called for the remit of the Westminster inquiry to be widened to include Kincora.

The inquiry is being set up to examine how public institutions handled their duty of care to protect children from paedophiles.

Last week, Amnesty's NI director, Patrick Corrigan said there were fears that there were "many more victims and abusers" at Kincora, during the period between 1960 and 1980.

He said: "Allegations have persisted that paedophilia at Kincora was linked to British intelligence services, with claims that visitors to the home included members of the military, politicians and civil servants, and that police investigations into abuse at Kincora were blocked by the Ministry of Defence and MI5."

Alan McQuillan said getting Kincora included as part of the Westminster inquiry to examine the allegations surrounding the home was vital.

"We are looking at this with a very different light today, compared to what was considered even in the 80s and 90s," he said.

"We have seen so much more about what was going on in certain areas, and we are much more aware of the different issues surrounding child abuse now.

"But unless you get the active co-operation of the British governments and relevant agencies, then any investigation or public inquiry will get you nowhere. You need that level of co-operation and assistance."

A Man Who Sexually Abused a Vulnerable Teenage Girl is Jailed for Seven Years

David Cashin (46), of Thornleigh Court, Applewood Village, Swords, Ireland, had been convicted last month by a jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following a five day trial of sexual assault and buggery of the girl on dates between October 2002 and February 2005. The child was aged 14-years-old and Cashin was 35 when the abuse began.

Dublin Criminal Courts

Judge Sarah Berkeley said the abuse had been “a gross breach of trust involving a vulnerable young girl”. She said the abuse had been “systematic” and that it fell at the upper middle range of gravity. She noted that there had not been any violence involved.

Judge Berkeley said the young woman had shown “tremendous strength and resilience” and noted Cashin had not spared her having to give evidence. She imposed concurrent sentences totalling seven years. I hate concurrent sentences, they are the stupidest invention ever made in criminal justice.

Garda Alan Carberry told Anne Rowland BL, prosecuting, that the young girl suffered a series of tragedies in her life before coming into contact with Cashin whom she grew to trust.

The abuse began in late 2002. Later Cashin asked the girl to perform oral sex and gave her money. The child began to feel as if she was in a relationship with Cashin. They began having sexual intercourse in 2003 .Sexual contact continued a few times a week until the girl was 17 years old. Cashin also took naked photographs of the girl and videotaped them having anal sex. The tape was later destroyed at the girl’s request.

He would punish the girl if she did not please him sexually using various methods of control.

The woman outlined in her victim impact statement that she had been a child who was willing to please but Cashin had controlled and used her for his own satisfaction. “I was a puppet and he was the puppet master”, said the woman.

She said on hearing the verdicts she had cried tears, not of joy or sadness, but of validation.

Patrick Gageby SC, defending, said Cashin has no previous convictions and there had been no suggestion of him offending against anyone else sexually or otherwise. He submitted the offences had not been perpetrated by violence or fear.

Mr Gageby said the court had a difficult task to reconcile the natural revulsion for these offences with the good qualities displayed by Cashin and outlined in testimonials given to the court.

The court heard Cashin, who is unemployed, suffers difficulties with anxiety and stomach complaints.

Court Hears Presidential Hopeful Knew of Sex Abuse Allegations Against Her Brother But Denied It

Eurovision song contest winner Dana had "known all along" about child sex abuse allegations against her brother, a court has heard.

John Brown, 60, denies five counts of indecent assault against two girls under the ages of 13 and 16 at various locations and times in the 1970s.

An alleged victim told Harrow Crown Court that Dana Rosemary Scallon knew of the claims for more than 30 years.

She alleged the former singer and Irish MEP had said she would pray for her.

On the third day of the trial, the court heard that the witness claimed she was molested by Mr Brown, of Bracknell, Berkshire, when she was a child.

She said Dana, now Dana Scallon, made the comments about praying for her as she tried to dampen publicity around the alleged scandal during her Irish presidential election campaign.

The court heard that after family members became aware of the allegations, Mr Brown sought help from a priest and had to "eat well, sleep well and watch for the signs" to control his sexual urges towards children.

While running for the presidency in Ireland in 2011, his sister, Dana, denied any knowledge of the allegations during a television interview with Irish channel TV3 and spoke by telephone to one of the alleged victims shortly before the allegations made national headlines in the country.

Dana Scallon, Eurovision winner and presidential candidate

The alleged victim claimed Mr Brown, who was part of Dana's 2011 election campaign team, touched her inappropriately on four occasions both in the UK and United States in the 1970s and said she was furious that the allegations were being refuted by Dana.

Speaking about the phone call she had with Dana about October 2011, she said: "I was angry because she had known all along.

"I felt bad about it [the television interview]. Dana said she didn't recall anything of it, but I said 'yes you do, you're my spiritual guide and you always knew'.

"That pretty much ended the conversation. She just said she would pray for me."

The court also heard evidence from the mother of the alleged victim, who said she had confronted Mr Brown after being told about the abuse when her daughter was 10 or 11 years old during a visit by him to the United States.

She said Mr Brown denied it but she told him to leave.

The alleged victim's mother spoke on the phone to Dana, who said she would collect Mr Brown in the UK and organise some treatment for him, the court heard.

"She said when he got home she would meet him, talk with him and work with him from that side," the witness said.

"She mentioned she knew someone who could talk to him - it was my understanding it was a priest."

The alleged victim and her family claim they then did not hear from Mr Brown for more than two years, but eventually met him again after Dana claimed her brother had been "cured".

The mother told the court: "John and Dana told me that the person he was seeing had died, but that he was healed and God had forgiven him and it was time for me to as well."

John Brown, Dana's brother

The prosecution alleged that Mr Brown went on to reoffend at a further visit to the family when the girl was aged 13 or 14.

Earlier, it was put to the alleged victim that the case was a lie created to support her defamation proceedings against Dana over her television interview, in which the singer claimed the allegations were "vile and malicious lies".

A defence lawyer said: "I'm suggesting to you these allegations are not true and that the only reason you came to the police in this country is you have very little option to do otherwise as, because of all of this publicity, the defamation claim is never going to succeed in the absence of a criminal conviction in the UK."

The victim denied the suggestion, and said: "No. It seems like an awful lot of planning for something that is so hurtful."

The case continues.

Vatican Declines Request to Provide All Documents Relating to Australian Pedophile Priests

The Vatican has declined a royal commission request to hand over documents about child sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in Australia.

The head of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Justice Peter McClellan, revealed last month that he had personally written to the Vatican, seeking copies of all documents relating to complaints about abuse involving priests in Australia.

The Vatican has provided documents to the royal commission relating to two cases, but Justice McClellan wanted more information to find out how church authorities in Australia, under the guidance or direction of the Vatican, responded to allegations of abuse.

Justice Peter McClellan

In a written response, the Vatican says the Holy See maintains the confidentiality of internal deliberations, adding that it would be inappropriate to provide such documents.

Leonie Sheedy, founder and chief executive of Care Leavers Australia Network, a support group for victims of child sexual abuse says the Catholic Church is treating the Australian public with contempt.

"I'm not surprised ... I feel like the Catholic Church believes it is above the laws of Australia and probably the world," she said.

"It's just a replica of their behaviour for the last 200 years in this country.

"It's treating the Australian public with contempt, and the royal commission as well."

Australians Lawyers Alliance spokesman Andrew Morrison, who has represented many victims of church abuse, says the Vatican has a long history of refusing to assist in such inquiries, including a similar instance in Ireland.

Mr Morrison says the lack of cooperation is going to impact upon the royal commission's work.

"It's not as if there's no material at all in Australia to assist - there is - and it's been of use," he said.

"But I would simply say that it will certainly prevent the inquiry being as thorough as the royal commission wish it to be, and it's a lack of cooperation that's disappointing but unsurprising."

Mr Morrison says that, as an independent nation, there is nothing that can be done to force the Vatican to hand over its documents.

"The Vatican claims the status of independent nation and in those circumstances there's nothing which can be done by government, let alone by the royal commission, to compel it to produce documents," he said.

Arguably the Worst Mother in Ireland

A mother was today given a 14-year sentence for the sexual exploitation of her five-year old daughter.

The 47-year-old west of Ireland woman had also admitted charges of sexually assaulting and ill-treating the little girl.

The offences took place at the family home in the West between 2004 and 2008.

Longford Courthouse

Evidence heard at a previous sitting of Roscommon Circuit Court revealed that the mother did not intervene while the little girl was led around in a dog lead by a neighbour before being raped.

The child was subjected to shocking sexual abuse by her mother as well as by the neighbour from the age of five.

The court sitting in Longford today heard that her father has pleaded guilty to charges of sexually assaulting his daughter and is due before a sentencing court later this year.

The neighbour was given an eight-year sentence last year after pleading guilty to the oral and vaginal rape of the child.

That sentence is currently under appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The court heard previously that the woman gave the neighbour permission to do as he wished with her daughter and for as long as he liked.

The offences came to light after the girl was taken into care with her two siblings in 2008.

She initially said her mother had been slapping her and later spoke of her mother knocking her over.

In statements from social workers and the victim, it emerged the mother had also taught her daughter to masturbate when she was just five, while the child often went without food and was unable to use utensils or brush her hair when taken into care at the age of nine.

Her first foster family became concerned at what they called her sexualised behaviour.

She used to kiss her sister on the mouth and later it emerged that she was openly masturbating.

The foster family was unable to cope and the child was moved to another foster home.

Here, she struggled to eat and did not know what it was to feel full. She spoke of several evenings when there was no food in her original family home.

In her foster home she ate eight Weetabix to satisfy her hunger, but was unable to clean herself.

Judge Tony Hunt said he would suspend the final four and a half years of the 14-year term and also passed seven-year and five-year sentences respectively for the sex assault and ill-treatment offences.

This woman should never see the light of day again. If she was that horrible with her own daughter, what could she do with someone else's?

Seattle Archdiocese to Pay $12 Million to Settle Child Sex Abuse Claims

(Reuters) - The Archdiocese of Seattle has agreed to pay about $12.125 million to 30 men who alleged they were sexually abused as children and teens at two Seattle-area schools from the 1950s until 1984, their attorney said.

The men alleged in lawsuits filed in King County Superior Court that the Catholic district failed to shield them from known abusers at Seattle's O'Dea High School and at Briscoe Memorial School, in nearby Kent, plaintiffs' attorney Michael Pfau said in an interview.

The schools were operated jointly by the Christian Brothers of Ireland religious order and the Archdiocese of Seattle, which owned both schools, he said. The settlement agreement, which had been negotiated over the past year, was announced on Tuesday.

The agreement comes weeks after Pope Francis said the Roman Catholic Church had to take a stronger stand on a sexual abuse crisis that has disgraced it for more than two decades.

Media in the U.S began reporting in the early 2000s how cases of abuse were systematically covered up and abusive priests were shuttled from parish to parish instead of being defrocked and handed over to civil authorities.

Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain

The Christian Brothers of Ireland, Inc, and Christian Brothers agreed in a May 2013 settlement reached in U.S. bankruptcy court to pay $16.5 million to more than 400 adults who said religious leaders sexually abused them as children.

"I deeply regret the pain suffered by these victims," Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Seattle Times newspaper.

"Our hope is that this settlement will bring them closure and allow them to continue the process of healing," he said.

The Archdiocese will make three consecutive payments in June, July, and August, Pfau said.

Tuam Babies: How a Small Field in Ireland Held Big Secret

Tucked away between houses on an estate in the Republic of Ireland is a small field that many believe, until recently, had a big secret.

Beneath a grotto of the Virgin Mary, lie flowers and teddy bears left by well-wishers in memory of the children of unmarried mothers, described at the time as "fallen women".

It is believed nearly 800 children are buried in the grounds of what was once a mother and baby home run by nuns in Tuam, County Galway.

Flowers and teddies remember hundreds of children who
are said to have been buried in the grounds of a Tuam home

A child died nearly every two weeks between the mid-1920s and 1960s.

After world-wide publicity, the Irish government announced there is to be a state-wide investigation.

Although the terms of reference of the inquiry have yet to be finalised, they will include the high mortality rate and burial practice at mother and baby homes.

The inquiry will also ask whether clinical drug trials were carried out on children and whether there were forced adoptions.

JP Rodgers was born in the Tuam home and has written two books about his forced separation from his mother.

She was put into care for begging when she was less than three-years-old and spent most of her life in Catholic Church-run institutions until she ran away to England when she was 34.

Her son was fostered when he was five and spent a happy time with his new family but his mother never gave up hope of them being re-united.

Eventually, after decades apart, they were reunited.

JP Rodgers as baby

After decades apart, JP Rodgers
was reunited with his mother

"The day we separated she cut off a lock of my hair as a keepsake and she vowed that no church or state would be able to claim her son as long as she kept his hair", he said.

"Growing up I knew there was something radically wrong with Irish society.

"It was wrong for any church to separate a mother from her infant. You can't commit a greater crime against humanity."

The Ireland at the time was anything but a true republic.

One faith, Christianity and the Catholic Church in particular, dominated so many aspects of life.

Sex outside marriage was more than just a sin. The domination of the church was one in which the state and the people at the time willingly colluded.

The victims were not just women and young girls who got locked up because they were pregnant.

We now know from recent state reports they included children - the victims of institutional and clerical child sex abuse.

Dr Lindsey Earner-Byrne, an historian at University College Dublin, has studied the period and said the new Irish state set itself up as a bastion of Catholicism and moral purity in opposition to its former master, Britain.

But she said a high price was paid for that puritanical intolerance.

She said: "It was black and white and if you deviated you were ostracised. And one way of deviating was having sex outside marriage.

"So, women who did paid the highest price along with their children - and that was to be relegated to an institution or to take the boat to Britain."

The Tuam grave issue is something the people of the County Galway town have given a lot of thought to.

One woman said that as, a single mother, a midwife asked her whether she wanted to give her son up for adoption as recently as 22 years ago.

Another said: "The church got away (with it) for so long and it's not right".

But an elderly man took a different view: "We all knew about the home for unmarried mothers and pregnant ladies.

"The babies had to be buried somewhere. It was a sign of the times."

In this whole affair, little has been said about the role of men in fathering children outside marriage.

Others said we are seeing the past through the prism of the present.

But how much has changed?

Some might say: "Not much".

As recently as 2012, more than 100 children in Irish state care were reported missing in the five-year period up until then.

The Catholic Church has declined to be interviewed by the BBC.

Tuam gates

Another Nightmare Story from Portugal

A Belfast couple whose daughter was seized by cops in Portugal because they gave her Calpol have opened up about their holiday hell after being told by police: “We don’t want another Madeleine McCann.”

Lee-Anne O’Donoghue, her partner James Moreland and their 18-month-old baby Eireann should have been making happy memories on their first family holiday together.

But today they reveal how their dreams turned to a nightmare when hotel staff reported them to police for giving little Eireann, who was teething, some Calpol — the popular infants’ medicine sold in supermarkets across the UK.

Lee-Anne O'Donoghue

Suddenly James and Lee-Anne found themselves headline news in Portugal and the UK, wrongly accused of drugging their daughter and being too drunk to care for her. Cops even alleged that the couple had thrown the tot from an eighth floor balcony into a swimming pool.

In their first full interview since returning home the couple spoke to Sunday Life to tell the story of their horrific ordeal.

Lee-Anne explained her family had been staying at the Hotel Paraiso in Albufeira — 40 miles from Praia da Luz where Madeleine vanished in 2007 — as part of a week-long package trip.

Following a day out with friends, they returned to their hotel when Lee-Anne noticed Eireann was having teething pain and gave her some Calpol, which is commonly used for pain relief and to soothe fever.

After seeing her give the medicine to her child, hotel staff called the police, telling her that “Calpol was illegal in Portugal”.

Lee-Anne said: “I didn’t know what was going on but next thing the police were there and they had seized the Calpol. They said I was drugging Eireann.

“They said they didn’t want another tragedy like Madeleine McCann".

“More people started to arrive but no-one spoke English, we had no idea what was happening and all I wanted was to put Eireann into her wee cot to sleep.”

Portuguese police made Lee-Anne go with them to hospital with Eireann because they wanted to have her drugs tested.

“I was hysterical,” she said.

“On the way to the hospital in the ambulance I just sat holding her, crying my eyes out the whole time.

“A police car was behind us, one was in front of us, but I still thought everything would be fine because I knew I had done nothing wrong.

“I know we’re good parents and we love Eireann so much.”

But once they arrived at hospital, things took a sinister turn.

“As soon as I went in they were stripping and checking her, she learned to walk while we were away and she had a red mark on her knee from crawling.

“The doctor asked me, ‘You smack your daughter? You scrab your daughter?’

“That child is my world, I couldn’t believe what I was being accused of.”

When doctors arrived with needles to take blood, Lee-Anne became frantic.

“I was squealing because when she was three-months-old Eireann had suspected meningitis and they couldn’t get a vein, we had a terrible experience with needles and I didn’t want her to go through that again,” she said.

“But they trailed me away from my daughter into a room and handcuffed me.

“When I went to get up they would put their hands on my forehead and fling me back to the ground.

“I was so frantic, Eireann didn’t know anybody and no-one spoke English.

“They had me in a room for an hour and I have no idea what they were doing to her.

“I gave no permission to inject her but apparently you don’t have to in Portugal — they can do what they want to your child.”

Meanwhile, James had arrived at the hospital to find an armed police guard outside who refused to let him enter.

“I got angry so they got me down on the ground and were punching and kicking me,” he said.

“They handcuffed me, lifted me by my hands and threw me into the back of the police car — not on the seat, in the footwell.”

James was left with cuts and bruises in the struggle.

Lee-Anne was called to go outside to calm James down, but in the chaos police had taken his mobile phone and wallet.

The pair were told they had to leave Eireann in hospital overnight because her test results weren't back yet and go back to the hotel, but police left them to make the 40 minute journey themselves.

“We went to pay for the taxi, James got his wallet out and there wasn’t a penny in it.

“€745 was gone — it was all the holiday money we had left,” Lee-Anne said.

“At the hotel we called the police to report the money stolen, they did come out but they wouldn’t take a statement and denied they had taken it.”

Lee-Anne broke down as she told how a kind fellow Northern Ireland holiday maker lent them enough cash to pay for their taxi to the hospital the next day.

“She was our angel,” she said.

The next day at the hospital, James and Lee-Anne were told by Portuguese social services that Eireann’s test results showed she had not been drugged.

Lee-Anne thought the nightmare was coming to an end, but then police submitted a surreal report claiming that both Lee-Anne and James had been too intoxicated to look after their baby.

She said: “When they said I was drunk I’d had three cocktails.

“I don’t usually drink at home but we were on holiday, I’d had three drinks the entire day.”

They also alleged that Lee-Anne had thrown Eireann from an eighth floor balcony into a pool, even though their room was nowhere near the pool and looked out onto a carpark.

“When the hospital said we hadn’t drugged her police had to change their story about why they had taken Eireann off us — they had to justify themselves,” she said.

“If I threw Eireann from eight floors anywhere she would be dead.

“It was just unreal, totally mad.”

As investigations continued the family had to spend another night in hospital but after they were finally cleared to leave the next day they realised dozens of reporters had set up camp outside.

Lee-Anne said: “We were all over the Portuguese papers, on every TV channel and in every story we were linked to Madeleine McCann.

“But every story was different, in one they even said I had hit Eireann’s head against a wall.

“It was horrific.”

For their own safety, the family was held at the hospital which went into lockdown.

But determined to leave with baby Eireann, they were smuggled out with blankets over their heads.

Lee-Anne said: “We’re sure the police tipped off the press."

“One police officer who was nice, and he was the only one, told us they had been so heavy-handed because of Madeleine McCann.

“He said they had to be seen to have a zero-tolerance approach when it came to British holiday makers, he said it was political policing.”

After battling through another media frenzy at the airport, James, Lee-Anne, and Eireann were finally able to board a flight back to Belfast.

“When the flight took off it was like someone was giving me my child all over again,” Lee-Anne said.

But while they’re both delighted to be home with their daughter, they are still dealing with their Portuguese nightmare and can’t even look at their holiday snaps because of the bad memories.

Social services have visited the couple but have said they have absolutely no concerns about Eireann’s well being.

Despite that relief, both James and Lee-Anne have suffered nightmares and James has collapsed after developing heart palpitations.

His GP has attributed this to the stress he’s suffered in the past few weeks.

James is so scarred by their experience that he says he’ll never get on an aeroplane to travel again.

Lee-Anne added: “Eireann is such a good child and we just wanted to give her a great holiday but it really was the holiday from hell.

“I can’t wait until it’s a distant memory.”

And we wonder why, after 7 years, there is still no sign of Madeleine McCann.

Another Potential Epic Horror Story for the Catholic Church - 800 Children's Bodies Found

While this story is not specifically about child sex abuse, it is relevant to Catholic run institutions where child sex abuse was all too common. I'm sure if the whole truth were discovered that some sex abuse would be discovered regarding the children. 

Also, some of the young mothers were almost certainly pregnant because of child sex abuse and even incest. This inquiry, if it happens, would determine if such abuse girls were further abused by having their children treated in possibly inhumane conditions.

One of the most senior figures in the Catholic Church in Ireland has said a full inquiry is needed into the deaths of almost 800 children at a convent-run mother and baby home.

The remains were found in a disused septic tank in County Galway.

The children, one as old as nine, died between 1925 and 1961. The grave in Tuam was initially thought to date to the 1850s when discovered 40 years ago.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin said the truth must come out.

"The indications are that if something happened in Tuam, it probably happened in other mother and baby homes around the country," Dr Martin told RTÉ radio.

"That's why I believe we need a full-bodied investigation.

"There's no point investigating just what happened in Tuam and then next year finding out more.

"We have to look at the whole culture of mother and baby homes; they're talking about medical experiments there."

He added: "They're very complicated and very sensitive issues, but the only way we will come out of this particular period of our history is when the truth comes out."
 

The home was run by nuns between 1925 and 1961

The site of a mass grave for children who died
 in the Tuam mother and baby home, Galway

The unmarked grave is in the grounds of a home which was run by the Catholic Church

The Irish government has set up an inter-departmental group to look at the case.

The home was run by nuns of the Bon Secours Sisters for 36 years.

In a statement, Bon Secours said it handed its records to the state after it closed its doors.

The Tuam home was one of 10 institutions in which about 35,000 unmarried pregnant women - so-called fallen women - are thought to have been sent.

The children of these women were denied baptism and segregated from others at school. If they died at such facilities, they were also denied a Christian burial.

County Galway death records showed that most of the children buried in the unmarked grave had died of sickness or malnutrition. It seems that this has potential to be a horror story of epic proportions. I'm not sure the Catholic Church can survive more horror stories or, indeed, if it should.

Northern Ireland Folk Musician's Trial for 'Statutory Rape' Begins

Folk musician Francis McPeake has gone on trial in Belfast accused of 12 charges of child sex abuse.

It follows alleged offences with a girl who was under the age of consent.

The 72-year-old, formerly of Eliza Street Close in Belfast, was aged around 67 at the time of the alleged offences.

He has denied the teenager's claims and told police the girl was "attempting to destroy" his life.

Opening the case, a Crown prosecutor said the issue in this case was not one of consent, but one of an adult engaging in sexual activity with a child. Used to be called 'statutory rape' in some countries.

He also urged the jury to undertake a "cool, calm and careful assessment of the evidence".

Mr McPeake and the schoolgirl initially met around 2008 at a music event. In the summer of 2009, they both attended a music festival in the Republic of Ireland, during which she claims he kissed her and touched her sexually.

When they returned from the trip, the girl claims she and Mr McPeake began meeting regularly.

The court was told that she makes the case that when they had sex for the first time, McPeake expressed concerns about someone finding out as he had a lot to lose, but he loved her.

The prosecutor said it was the Crown's case that other sexual activity between McPeake and the schoolgirl occurred in his car, and on one occasion while her friend was also in the vehicle, with McPeake telling her to put her earphones in.

The girl's friend subsequently told another girl about what she had seen, and in a short space of time the teenager's mother heard about the allegations regarding her daughter and Mr McPeake.

When the girl's family confronted him, the girl said the allegations were lies, defended Mr McPeake and said he had done nothing wrong.

The prosecutor said that following the allegations and confrontation, it "wasn't as easy" for McPeake to have sex with the girl and that on one occasion when they went to Bangor, they thought they have been spotted by a relative of the girl's, which prompted Mr McPeake to ask his son to lie for him.

The court heard that in 2010, things came to an end as her family were suspicious, she said she was sick of sneaking around and lying.

The girl went to the police in December 2012, and Mr McPeake voluntary attended for interview in the spring of 2013.

Mr McPeake's solicitor read out a statement on behalf of his client, which said: "I have never done anything with this child."

He branded her allegations as "false, malicious and without foundation" and claimed he and his family had suffered due to a "campaign of harassment" from her and her relatives

"She is attempting to destroy my life," he added.

He then replied 'no comment' to questions that were put to him during interviews.

The case was later adjourned, after the jury was dismissed because of a legal technicality.

How the McCanns Got Taken for a Half Million Dollars

"This is the extraordinary story of one man’s audacious claims, and how he fooled the intelligence community," Emma Westcott, of Channel 5.

The documentary, due to be screened next week, reads like the plot of a spy movie.

Kevin Halligen will break his silence in an exclusive Channel 5 interview for a documentary, The McCanns And The Conman.

The 53-year-old set up Operation Omega after being commissioned by parents Kate and Gerry McCann to find Maddy, who vanished at the age of three while on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.

 Halligan, a Surrey-based Irishman, promised to use his MI5, MI6 and CIA “contacts” to try to track down the girl.

Kevin Halligen - man without a conscience

The security consultant signed a six-figure contract – but questions were later raised over exactly how the money was spent. Some reports have it at more than a half million dollars.

Now Halligen, who also claimed to have FBI and White House connections, has agreed to tell his side of the story.

Kate and Gerry - viciously kicked while down

It is an extraordinary tale of covert surveillance, sting operations and the bugging of a key witness through the twists and turns of the hunt for a man who was then a prime suspect, code-named “George”.

Halligen’s final report is said to contain significant leads that now form part of the current Scotland Yard investigation, including the crucial e-fits based on the so-called “Smith sighting”, which was aired on Crimewatch last October.

But it transpired that Halligen was an audacious conman, who led people into believing he was a spy.

He was arrested in 2009 and jailed in the US for defrauding an unrelated client on a previous kidnap and ransom case.

He has recently been released from prison. 

As if the McCanns weren't in enough pain - this creep comes along, gives them false hope and takes a half million dollars - basically, financial rape. Please pray for Kate and Gerry - for them to find peace and, hopefully, closure soon.

• The McCanns And The Conman, Channel 5, June 4, 9 pm in the UK.

Belfast Man Sentenced to 16 Years for Sexually Abusing 2 Young Brothers

A Belfast man who sexually abused two young brothers, attacking one of them when he was four to five years old, has been jailed for a total of 16 years.

The victims both waived their right to anonymity so their abuser, Harry McFerran from Orangefield Parade, could be publicly identified.

Last month, McFerran was convicted of 22 sex abuse charges against the pair.

One brother said he was elated by the sentence and called on other victims of historical sex abuse to come forward.

Laganside Courts, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Speaking after Thursday's sentencing, the now grown man warned other sexual abusers: "You might hide and long runs the fox, but you will be caught and the justice system will deal with you".

He added that going through the trial process was "a hard thing to do", but added: "I have done it and have come out the other side better than I expected".

"I would urge others to come forward and tell your story. I am not going to say it is easy, but its worth it in the end.

"It really really is, the sense of justice of being believed at last by 12 people that didn't know me," the victim said.

The Belfast Crown Court trial had heard that McFerran had committed 20 of the 22 against the older brother, and that he abused the boy "in every conceivable manner" over a ten-year period.

The offences date back 43 years, to when the victim was a vulnerable four or five year old child.

The victim went on to say that his whole life "has been very much on hold" but added that "now of the first time I can get on living my life".

"I would reiterate, that if there is anybody out there thinking of reporting it, please do so...whether historical or not," the man said.

Earlier he and other members of his family listened as the judge told 68-year-old McFerran he was guilty of "an extreme breach of trust".

She said his crimes were made all the more serious by his constant denials, which had meant the brothers had to "contend with the unpleasant experience" of having to give evidence in open court.

The offences ranged from indecent assaults, to gross indecency and one occasion of rape.

The judge said McFerran's abuse of the brothers was both "systematic and sustained" and had been carried out over a prolonged period of time when they would have been vulnerable.

The court heard that according to victim impact reports, McFerran's abuse has had a lasting impact on both of his victims' lives.

Dublin Man Sent for Trial on 50 Counts of Child Sex Abuse

The defendant, who is in his 50s and cannot be identified for legal reasons, is facing 50 charges, including allegations he sexually assaulted one girl on three occasions and that he induced another girl into making pornography.

The man is also accused of engaging in a sexual act with a child under the age of 17 and was served with a book of evidence when he made his second appearance at Dublin District Court today.

Judge Cormac Dunne noted the DPP had consented to the accused being returned for trial on indictment.
Judge Dunne made an order sending him forward for trial to the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where he will face his next hearing on May 23rd.

The judge also gave him the standard warning that if he intended to use an alibi in his defence he must inform the prosecution, including the relevant names and addresses, within 14 days.

The man, who has has not yet indicated how he will plead, was accompanied to the hearing by his solicitor Michael Hennessy, and he replied “yes, judge”.

Under the terms of bail, he has to sign in at a north Dublin Garda station two days each week. He has already surrendered his passport but cannot apply for duplicate travel documents and the Department of Foreign Affairs has been notified of this condition.

He is facing 40 charges relating to exploitation of a teenage girl contrary to Section 3 of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998.

One sample charge states that on a date unknown between December 1st, 2008 and March 21st, 2011, both dates inclusive, at a place within the State, he is alleged to have sexually exploited a named child by inviting, inducing or coercing her to engage in the production of child pornography.

Another sample charge under this legislation states that he is accused that on a date in March 2011, at a place unknown, he sexually exploited her by inviting, inducing or coercing her to engage or participate in a sexual, indecent or obscene act.

In seven other charges it is alleged that he engaged in sexual acts with a child aged under 17 on dates in 2011, Contrary to Section 3 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2006.

He is also accused of three counts of sexual assault of another girl which allegedly occurred: at two locations in Dublin in March and June 2007, and at a location in a Co. Donegal town in the same year.