Abuser Christian Brother stayed in leadership role after sex charges
Victims' representatives have said they are deeply concerned following discoveries by RTÉ Investigates that child abusers inside the religious congregation were at the heart of its leadership, managing its financial and business affairs in recent decades.
The documentary will air at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player with reporter Rita O'Reilly examining what the Christian Brothers order owns, and how it has handled property and school lands. The details of two Christian Brothers who were senior leaders in the congregation for two decades and are now convicted child sexual abusers are set to be revealed in a new RTÉ Investigates documentary to be aired tonight. Pic: Shutterstock
Brother Martin O'Flaherty, aged 73, was jailed for historical child sexual abuse after six trials in the last three years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
In April, he was sentenced to five years on 15 counts of indecent assault on seven boys at Kilkenny CBS Primary School between 1976 and 1981.
O'Flaherty was a senior member of the Christian Brothers' leadership for Ireland, England, and Europe from 2002 to 2014 and a trustee of its English properties until December 2019, over a year after he was formally questioned by the Gardaí. Martin O'Flaherty. Pic: RTÉ
He remains a listed trustee on Christian Brothers properties in Ireland, including retained lands at Monkstown CBC, where he was involved in a legal change to the property's deed in 2022, over a year after he was charged with indecent assault.
Another senior Brother, who cannot be named for legal reasons and was part of the leadership and involved in the trusteeship of congregation assets, has also been convicted for historical child sexual abuse.
He controlled a project that received significant money from a Children At Risk fund established by the State as part of the response to revelations of clerical child sexual abuse in the 1990s.
He was also involved in decisions on the Christian Brothers' approach to civil cases taken by sexual abuse victims in the courts.
Survivor and victims' advocate Damian O'Farrell was at the forefront of a campaign in response to the Brothers' leadership's use of legal tactics against victims in the courts.
In response to the show's findings, he said: 'Now we know that there was two people in the leadership that have convictions. Were they behind some of that direction, that disdain for victims?'
The Christian Brothers told RTÉ Investigates the congregation reiterated 'our apology for the physical and sexual abuse that occurred in many former CBS schools' and stated that they 'cannot comment on individuals, not least as some remain subject to ongoing legal processes'.
REPORTING BY JAMIE MCCARRON
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