Kincora abuse victim obtains settlement over MI5 agent allegations
Gary Hoy's legal action against the PSNI and Home Secretary was resolved on confidential terms at the High Court in Belfast today
Gary Hoy pictured outside the High Court in Belfast
A victim of abuse at the notorious Kincora Boys' Home has obtained an undisclosed settlement over claims that a paedophile housemaster was protected from prosecution because of his status as an MI5 agent.
Gary Hoy's legal action against the PSNI and Home Secretary was resolved on confidential terms at the High Court in Belfast today.
The 63-year-old declared afterwards: 'This case was never about the money, it was about holding them to account.'
Mr Hoy sought damages for the ordeal he endured after being sent to the now demolished children's home in east Belfast during the 1970s.
At the centre of the action was the role played by senior member of staff William McGrath, who became known as the 'Beast of Kincora'.
William McGrath
McGrath was jailed in 1981 for abusing boys as part of a paedophile ring operated within the care facilities.
The former housemaster, who died in the early 1990s, also held a leading position in the far-right loyalist movement Tara.
Lawyers for Mr Hoy claimed the authorities enabled him to target vulnerable young victims so that more information about the grouping could be obtained.
The alleged liability went as far as actively obstructing RUC officers from investigating and pursuing McGrath specifically due to his role as an MI5 agent, it was contended.
Claims for negligence and misfeasance in public office were advanced as part of wider actions against the PSNI, Home Office and Department of Health.
The former Kincora Boys' Home in east Belfast
The defendants disputed responsibility for any violation in the duty of care to those targeted at Kincora, which closed in 1980 and was finally demolished in 2022.
A three-day trial was due to begin today, but counsel for Mr Hoy announced that proceedings had been settled on confidential terms.
No further details were disclosed, and no admission of liability was made as part of the resolution.
The judge, Mr Justice Simpson, commended the parties for reaching the outcome in a difficult case.
Outside court, Mr Hoy described the ordeal he has endured for decades.
'I have carried this burden since the age of 13; I never told anybody about it at the time, and I still have nightmares and flashbacks about the abuse,' he said.
His solicitor, Claire McKeegan of Phoenix Law, described it as a huge day for all of the survivors of Kincora.
'No child should ever be subject to abuse while being in the care of the state,' she insisted.
'What happened at Kincora is well documented to be some of the most grave and horrific abuse perpetrated against children in the history of Northern Ireland.
'This has been an arduous process for Gary and others who have fought the system and held them to account.'
Gary Hoy pictured outside the High Court in Belfast
News in 90 Seconds - June 18th
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