52 legal cases to be heard over Scouting Ireland sexual abuse allegations

Over 50 victims come forward in Scouting Ireland’s historical sexual abuse cases

More than 50 victims have come forward with allegations of historical sexual abuse, which they report to have happened while they were children taking part in Scouting Ireland Groups. It first came to light almost five years ago that hundreds of children experienced sexual abuse by scout leaders for decades. It has been reported that most of these alleged instances occurred between the 1960s and 1990s. At the moment there are 52 individuals taking legal cases relating to this historical abuse, but that number is expected to increase. Coleman Legal LLP are representing 30 of these victims; our solicitor

and his team have already sent letters of claim to

and have personal injuries summons in the high court to initiate legal proceedings. Last September, Sheehan & Company LLP, representing Scouting Ireland, stated the organisation hoped to set up a redress scheme for alleged victims sometime in the future. The scheme would be a more accessible avenue to compensate victims and would avoid victims having to go through legal battles through the courts. Further correspondence to this firm in October 2022 stated that the steps to establish a redress scheme had not yet been taken.

has stated that it is unsatisfactory that

has not taken the relevant steps to compensate victims.

has said that the delay in setting up a redress scheme was “much to the detriment of the victims who are forced to spend years pursuing the organisation through difficult and costly litigation”. The Irish Times recently reported that a spokeswoman for

said there was no further update on the potential redress scheme. Scouting Ireland was formed in 2004 after the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and the Scout Association of Ireland merged. It was reported in late 2018 that over 350 victims came forward with allegations of sexual abuse against the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and Scout Association of Ireland. Since these organisations merged, the cases have now been brought against Scouting Ireland. A report into historical sexual abuse within the

was concluded in 2020, and its findings showed how the sexual abuse had been known to those running the organisations and had been covered up for decades to protect the reputation of the scouting organisations.

How we can help

If you have been affected by a similar issue, the team at Coleman Legal LLP can advise you. Contact our team to discuss your case. Call 01 531 3800 or complete our contact form.