The Department of Health has been advised by the Attorney General not to publish the full report on the sexual abuse of residents at an HSE-run centre for people with disabilities.

The centre in question is the Ard Greine centre at St Joesph’s Hospital Stranorlar, Co. Donegal. A summary report published in December 2021 confirmed that there had been sexually inappropriate behaviour perpetrated by a resident of Ard Greine since 1997.

The resident, given the pseudonym Brandon, had previously been diagnosed with bipolar effective disorder and mild to moderate intellectual disability. Brandon carried out at least 108 sexual assaults on as many as 18 intellectually disabled residents. The report focused on serious incidents perpetrated by Brandon between 2003 and 2011 and held that management of the centre had full knowledge of these assaults.

The first record of a sexual assault by Brandon was in January 1997. Files held by Ard Greine suggested that Brandon targeted and pursued certain vulnerable residents.

Brandon remained in Ard  Greine until 2016 when he was transferred to a nursing home where he passed away in 2020. As a result of the failure by the Department of Health to publish the report the full extent of Brandon’s abuse will not be disclosed