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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34 of these allegations were made since 2015 when the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland reviewed the order. Despite these shocking figures, the Irish courts are yet to convict a single member of St John of God of child sex abuse. Additionally, the organisation has failed to make a single legal settlement with survivors.
However, 12 civil cases for abuse are currently in progress against the order. Other Irish orders have collectively paid over €20 million in compensation to abuse victims. The Dominican order, the subject of 97 allegations, 29 of which occurred at the order’s Newbridge College in Kildare, has paid €1,839,000 in settlements with victims and over €500,000 towards survivors’ legal fees.
124 claims of child sexual abuse have been made against the Franciscans, 36 of which relate to one single friar who was based in Franciscan College in Gormanston. Settlement payments of €3,857,000 have been made by the order; however, only three friars have been convicted of sexual offences.
St John of God operated special schools across Ireland for pupils as young as 5. Over 100 of the allegations against the order occurred at these schools. 41 different members of the congregation are subject to sexual abuse allegations, the majority of whom are now deceased. Several claims relate to incidents abroad, in Africa or the UK.
Allegations of sexual abuse have been made against factions of St John of God all over the world. In Australia, the order operated residential institutions for children with disabilities. An investigation into the organisation revealed that over 40 percent of brothers in Australia between 1950 and 2010 were accused of sexual abuse.
This was a significantly higher figure than other orders in the country. Brother Donatus Forkan, the Irish order’s provincial, has expressed regret over the “hurt” caused by these incidents. The order also contributed a million euros to the redress scheme established following the Ryan report 2009.
This report revealed endemic abuse throughout the residential institutions operated by religious groups in Ireland. In 2019, the St John of God Hospitaller Services Group assumed control of all services run by the order. This group still funds five schools in Dublin and various education, health, and social care services in the UK and Ireland.
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.
Pat Murphy, a 34-year-old father, died after a ruptured artery went undiagnosed at Cork University Hospital. Despite suffering severe chest pains, he faced a nine-hour wait for a CT scan, delayed further by a malfunctioning machine. His family claims this delay contributed to his tragic death.
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