Abuse Inquiry to Focus on Smyth Crimes

UTV
June 22, 2015

http://www.u.tv/News/2015/06/22/Abuse-inquiry-to-focus-on-Smyth-crimes-39544

Fr Brendan Smyth, died in prison in 1997 one month into a 12 year sentence. ©Pacemaker

It will focus on how Smyth, who was eventually convicted of more than 100 child abuse charges over a 40-year period, got away with his crimes for so long.

This, the latest module of the long-running Historical Abuse Inquiry (HIA), begins on Monday and is expected to last a week.

Smyth was at the centre of one of the first clerical child sex abuse scandals to rock the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Allegations surrounding the priest were investigated as far back as 1975, however it was almost 25 years before he was jailed.

He died in prison in 1997 following a heart attack.

A range of witnesses are expected to give evidence at the HIA over the coming days, including former Irish primate Cardinal Sean Brady.

The inquiry, which is sitting in Banbridge, was set up by the Executive in 2013 and is one of the UK's largest inquiries into physical, sexual and emotional harm to children at homes run by the church, state and voluntary organisations.