IRELAND
Irish Independent
THE Archbishop of Tuam Michael Neary has responded to a story published on Monday which stated that a teacher accused of sexually abusing children was subsequently promoted to the post of principal of a large national school in the Archdiocese.
The front page story in Monday’s Irish Independent stated that the teacher in question has been allowed to retain his position despite a Health Board conclusion that he had “probably” abused an eight year-old boy.
It went on to say that the Health Board were so concerned about the situation that the board of management of the school in question had been informed of the allegations. The allegations were first reported to Gardai in the mid 1990s and a file was sent to the DPP but it was decided there was not enough evidence to prosecute.
A senior counsel was appointed by the then Minister for Education Michael Woods to carry out an investigation. The investigation took over two years and reported in 2001. The report found that “on the balance of probabilities” it was not safe to conclude that assaults on two eight-year-old boys had occurred.