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Order Calls on RTE to Justify Naming Dead Brother As Abuser in Programme

By Maeve Sheehan
Irish Independent
November 27, 2011

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/order-calls-on-rte-to-justify-naming-dead-brother-as-abuser-in-programme-2946957.html

THE Christian Brothers have criticised Prime Time Investigates for including sexual abuse allegations against a deceased brother in the documentary that libelled Fr Kevin Reynolds.

The late Brother Gerard Dillon was named as an abuser in A Mission to Prey. Yesterday Brother Edmund Garvey, spokesman for the Christian Brothers, joined the family's criticism of Br Dillon's inclusion in the documentary. Br Garvey said RTE gave him effectively "24 working hours" of notification of the allegations before the programme was aired. "We did not get adequate time. We effectively had less than 24 working hours to find out what was in this allegation," said Br Garvey.

Br Dillon's accuser, Tyrone Selmon, told yesterday's Irish Independent that he stands by his accusations against the late Christian Brother. Last week RTE said a number of former pupils corroborated Mr Selmon's testimony .

Mr Selmon said the abuse against him as a child occurred in the 1980s, but he could not remember what age he was. He also declined to go into the details of the allegation in a telephone interview.

Mr Selmon, who lives in South Africa, also said the relatives of the late cleric have not contacted him to query his claims.

The deceased man's family has called on RTE to produce evidence for its allegations, and called for his case to be included in the inquiry into the Fr Reynolds libel.

This weekend Br Garvey said he was contacted by RTE on a Friday and informed that the show, including a segment on Br Dillon, would be broadcast the following Monday. In that time, he said he contacted the Christian Brothers in Africa and tried unsuccessfully to call the Dillon family to tell them of the claims.

Br Garvey wrote to RTE the day before the broadcast to say it was "a matter of serious concern that RTE has not contacted the African leadership of the Christian Brothers on this matter, nor as we understand it have the programme makers sought to contact the deceased brother's relations, prior to airing these most serious allegations on TV".

In its statement last week, RTE said matters concerning Br Dillon in the programme were communicated to the Christian Brothers in Ireland at the most senior level before broadcast. RTE said the show had attempted to seek comment from the Christian Brothers in South Africa. It had also written twice to members of the Dillon family.


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