Full story of Kincora Boys' Home...

By Adrian Rutherford
Belfast Telegraph
July 16, 2014

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/full-story-of-kincora-boys-home-in-east-belfast-yet-to-be-told-says-child-sex-abuse-victim-30434442.html

William McGrath was one of three staff members jailed in 1981 for abusing boys at Kincora

Dark secrets: Kincora Boys' Home in east Belfast, where children were abused for years

There is a compelling case for the former Kincora Boys' Home in Belfast to be included in the Westminster-driven inquiry into allegations of a paedophile ring operating at the heart of the British Establishment.

Kincora Boy's Home in east Belfast

Full story of Kincora Boys' Home in east Belfast yet to be told, says child sex abuse victim

Pressure is mounting for the notorious east Belfast home to be included in the Government's review, with one victim saying the full story around Kincora has yet to emerge.

Clint Massey, who waived his right to anonymity to speak about how he was abused, said: "I strongly believe there's a lot more to come out."

Amnesty's Northern Ireland director Patrick Corrigan also warned that any inquiry must examine Kincora.

"For an inquiry to take place into child sexual abuse and potential cover-ups by the establishment and not include Kincora would mean that that inquiry lacks credibility," he said.

Supporting the calls, East Belfast DUP MLA Robin Newton said the perpetrators behind Kincora's grim past must be held accountable.

"The scandal of the Kincora Boys' Home continues to taint east Belfast and those who suffered abuse within its walls need justice," he said.

The Kincora scandal emerged in January 1980. Three senior staff members – William McGrath, Joseph Mains and William Semple – were jailed in 1981 for the abuse.

However, there have been persistent allegations of a mass cover-up by the secret service, which was rumoured to be protecting high-ranking paedophiles in the military, Civil Service and politics.

It was later claimed the RUC had been informed of the abuse at the home years earlier but did nothing.

Mr Massey was 16 when he was sent to Kincora.

He told the BBC: "The mornings were the worst times. I didn't start work until 10 o'clock.

"The other two guys who shared the room were up at half six in the morning and gone by seven.

"I didn't wake up until half eight. That was when McGrath had me at his mercy. There was nobody in the house except for just those three men and me."

Mr Massey has long suspected the full story of what happened at Kincora has not been revealed.

"The authorities knew what was going on," he added.

"When I walked in there, there were people high up who knew exactly what I was walking into.

"They just let me walk into it."

Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said he was writing to Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to include Kincora in the inquiry.

However, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said there should be an independent, international inquiry.

Background

Kincora Boys' Home on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast was the scene of a notorious child abuse scandal. In December 1981 three former employees at the home were jailed for abusing boys there. Among them was William McGrath, a former house master at Kincora and a leading Orangeman. There have long been claims of a cover-up to protect senior establishment figures linked to Kincora.