Kincora Home Abuse: Lowell Coddard "Willing to Discuss" Inquiry Inclusion

By Joanne Sweeney
Belfast Telegraph
February 12, 2015

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/kincora-home-abuse-lowell-coddard-willing-to-discuss-inquiry-inclusion-30987147.html

New Zealand High Court judge Lowell Goddard is said that she may raise inclusion of Kincora in the inquiry.

A government inquiry into historical child sex abuse may yet hear allegations regarding Kincora boys home following an undertaking by the head of the inquiry.

Justice Lowell Coddard surprised some members of the Home Affairs select committee when she said she had heard of the Kincora case, but was "not familiar" with it in response to a question about it from Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert.

She told the committee on Wednesday that she anticipated there would "probably be avenues by which to revisit" the issue and that she would "certainly raise it" for consideration with the home secretary if she felt it was important to do so.

Three senior care staff at the home in east Belfast were jailed in 1891 for sexual abusing 11 boys.

However, there have been claims that high-ranking security services personnel and senior political figures from England were also involved in the abuse.

First Minister Peter Robinson spoke of his disappointment in October, 2014 that Kincora was not to be included in the parliamentary inquiry as the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry in Northern Ireland was felt to be the best forum for it to be investigated.

East Belfast MP Naomi Long welcomed Justice Lowell Goddard's comments.

The inquiry's previous two chairs had ruled Northern Ireland institutions out of the parliamentary inquiry looking at historic child sex abuse in England and Wales.

Mrs Long said: "Justice Goddard’s inquiry offers the only viable option for the victims to receive the justice they deserve, due to its statutory nature.

"Whilst I can accept in part the argument the Home Secretary made regarding institutions dealing with different structures in England and Northern Ireland, the case against that is the alleged involvement of the intelligence services in covering up the abuse that went on."

Mrs Long added: "It offers the only true prospect for the victims to have their confidence restored and is a glimmer of hope in their ever-darkening situation."

Claims regarding what happened to boy in the care of Kincora boys home in east Belfast will be heard as part of the Northern Ireland Assembly's Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIA) in Banbridge.