Dianne Willmore, who passed from mesothelioma in 2009, won a landmark £240,000 case, holding Knowsley Borough Council liable for her asbestos exposure during school. Her case prompted legal and financial ramifications for local authorities nationwide, leading to increased awareness and changes in asbestos-related negligence proceedings.
Shane Flynn, 35, owner of a Mullingar clinic, was convicted of sexual assault after inappropriately touching a client seeking back pain relief. The investigation also revealed 18 hours of footage showing Flynn secretly filming 35 women during massages, raising further concerns about his conduct and abuse of trust within his practice.
Naveed Rana, a Dublin taxi driver, was sentenced to five and a half years for the assault of an 18-year-old woman after a night out. The court heard how Rana took advantage of the victim’s trust, driving erratically and assaulting her before being apprehended due to her quick actions in reporting the incident to Gardaí.
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The Report of the Scoping Inquiry into historical sexual abuse in special schools, day schools, and boarding schools run by Religious Orders by Mary O’Toole S.C. was published in September 2024. In June 2024, the report was furnished to Minister for Education Norma Foley.
Our team has extensive experience handling cases of historical sexual abuse in schools and can assist you in seeking justice. If you are a survivor of historical sexual abuse in special schools, please reach out to us for confidential advice. You can contact us on our free phone number 1800-844-104, or via email at [email protected]
The allegations of historical sexual abuse in special schools were set out separately in the report. Historically, education for those with varying degrees of disability was provided by religious orders. The Scoping Inquiry, as part of their work, considered whether a future investigation should include schools that had previously been subject to review by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA). Several special schools were referred to as part of the CICA report:
St. Joseph’s School for Deaf Boys, Cabra
St. Mary’s School for Deaf Girls, Cabra
Mary Immaculate School for Deaf Children
However, due to insufficient complaints at specific institutions, CICA should have investigated them. Furthermore, some complainants described practical difficulties hearing from them due to ongoing Garda investigations and disagreements with legal representatives.
Some abuse survivors of abuse in special schools have previously applied for redress under the Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB). However, compensation under that scheme was limited to residents of the institutions and excluded those who attended as day students. It should be noted, however, that those who received redress from the Residential Institutions Redress Board should not be precluded from participating in any future investigative process (although they are unlikely to be included in any future redress schemes, having signed a legal waiver when accepted redress under the previous scheme).
The report indicates a high prevalence of alleged abusers in particular special schools. According to the Report, a number of religious orders that ran special schools have reported that their records of allegations of historical sex abuse in their schools show that across 17 special schools, there are some 528 recorded allegations of historical abuse concerning 190 alleged abusers.
This is, unfortunately, reflective of the general trend of persons with disabilities being more likely to suffer sexual abuse in childhood. It also echoes the recent findings of The Central Statistics Office (‘CSO’), following a widespread survey of sexual violence, the results of which indicate that people with a disability experienced sexual violence as a child at a higher rate than those without a disability. The findings of the report support various international studies that indicate that disabled children and young people are more likely to be sexually abused.
During the CICA Inquiry, it was noted that 36 individuals were each named in more than 20 allegations. In the Dublin Archdiocese report, there is a reference to one individual having admitted to abusing over 100 children and another having abused many more. The Scoping Inquiry, therefore, points out that a full inquiry may result in the emergence of many more allegations of historical child abuse than the 528 previously reported.
Our team has experience dealing with cases involving historical sexual abuse in special schools and can help you seek justice. If you are a survivor of sexual abuse, please don’t hesitate to contact us for confidential advice. Contacted us at:
Solicitors
84 Talbot Street, Dublin 1
D01 YX60
Free Phone: 1800-844-104
Fax: (01) 5312727
Email: [email protected]
Online Enquiry Form: Apply
