Woman (70s) killed after two-vehicle collision in Co Donegal
A woman has died following a two-vehicle collision in
Co Donegal
.
The incident, involving a car and a van, occurred at about 7.30pm on Friday on the R245 at Bunlin Bridge, Milford.
The car driver, aged in her 70s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was removed to
Letterkenny University Hospital
where a postmortem is due to take place.
The driver of the van, a man aged in his 50s, was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries.
READ MORE
The road at Bunlin Bridge remained closed with diversions in place.
Gardaí
are appealing for any witnesses to come forward. Road users who may have camera footage, including dashcam, and were travelling in the area between 7.15pm and 7.45pm are asked to make this available to investigators.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Milford Garda station on (074) 9153060, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
‘I called him Dad': the Dublin scout leader and the men who accuse him of abuse
It was an incongruous sight on a sunny, quiet Sunday spring morning: a red van, crumpled at the front, jutting out on to a normally busy road in suburban south Dublin that had been closed by gardaí . The force of the impact with the old Norway Maple had crushed the front of the van on the driver's side; bark had been ripped from the tree. The damage to both van and tree gave an indication of how fast the vehicle had been travelling, in a 50km/h speed limit zone. The single-vehicle crash , which happened shortly after 6am on Sunday, April 7th, 2024 in Churchtown, claimed the life of the driver, the van's sole occupant. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Three hours later, the road was still closed as gardaí investigated how it happened. A garda at the tape cordon declined to speculate. The scene of the crash in which Neville Kearns died on April 7th, 2024 Within 48 hours it emerged that the driver, who was 69, had been due to stand trial the following day on 113 counts including charges of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape and attempted rape. They related to allegations made by five complainants dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. READ MORE The man's identity has never been publicly disclosed. His name was Neville Kearns. A number of men had provided statements to the Garda, lodging complaints that had led to his pending trial in the criminal courts. Kearns, of Edenvale Apartments, a gated apartment complex on Grange Road – not far from Marlay Park in Rathfarnham, south Dublin – was facing 71 counts of indecent assault, 27 of sexual assault, 13 of rape and two of attempted rape at the time of his death. The trial had been due to begin eight days before his 70th birthday. Edenvale Apartments, Rathfarnham, where Neville Kearns lived. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw On Monday, April 8th, 2024 the court was informed of Kearns's death; counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions told Mr Justice Paul McDermott, sitting at Dublin Central Criminal Court, that the DPP was entering a nolle prosequi – a decision to no longer prosecute. The court directed that the indictment be marked 'deceased'. The men concerned had been ready to go into the witness box to testify against Kearns and outline the abuse they claimed to have suffered at his hands. Today, three of them have decided to share their story publicly for the first time but wish to maintain their anonymity. They believe that being named could bring 'chaos' into their lives and those of their loved ones. Gardaí seal off the road in Churchtown following the crash in which Neville Kearns died last year 'I have children in college, an elderly mother to care for, bills to pay and a life to live,' one says. Now aged in their late 40s and 50s, the men allege that Kearns targeted, groomed and regularly sexually assaulted them as children. They say the alleged incidents took place in the 1980s and early 1990s, when they were aged between 10 and 15, and Kearns was in his 20s and 30s. Kearns denied the allegations. Kearns was a former member of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland, as it was then known, and worked as a house master at St Joseph's School For Deaf Boys in Cabra, Dublin. He went on regular camping trips with boys. Many of these were not official scouting events, but the men say Kearns used his previous involvement in the organisation as a way to legitimise himself. In some cases, the alleged abuse also took place in the children's homes or in Kearns's family home. The men say they worked through decades of pain – and years of preparing for the prospect of a trial – only to have their chance at justice snatched from them 24 hours before they were due in court. 'The whole world fell apart really,' says Andrew*. 'It was the Sunday morning; the trial was the next morning, Monday. And I just knew – as soon as I saw the guard's name come up [on my phone] – I knew.' He knew Kearns was dead and the trial was never going to happen. Neville Kearns on a trip with scouts Andrew believes the location of the crash is significant; two of the men who claim Kearns abused them as children live in the area. He says he was 'absolutely terrified' in the weeks leading up to the trial date, knowing he would be 'quizzed' on the most traumatic thing that ever happened to him. 'It was something I had to do,' he says. 'My own son was the same age as I was at that stage. I could see myself in him as a kid. That drove me on.' His motivation in testifying was to get Kearns 'taken off the streets, and not let him have the opportunity to be in the company of kids'. Andrew had considered contacting the authorities about Kearns for some time, but didn't feel he could do so until his own parents had died: 'I absolutely couldn't do anything about it while they were still alive because they had entrusted this man so deeply. It would have broken their hearts.' Neville Kearns: Scouting Ireland says Kearns ceased to be a member of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland in 1976 and later established an independent youth group He was considering what to do when, at his mother's wake, he received a text message. It was Kearns. 'It was the first time I'd heard from him in over 20-odd years, sending his commiserations,' Andrew says, pausing as he recalls it. 'The neck of him.' Receiving this message angered Andrew, but it solidified his decision to contact the authorities – first Tusla, then the Garda. He thought he was 'the only one in the world' who Kearns targeted but, in recent years, found out 'it was way bigger than I'd anticipated'. 'I was shocked, flabbergasted,' he says. Chris (not his real name), one of the men who made a complaint to the Garda about Neville Kearns. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw 'Chris' speaks about the Dublin scout leader who abused him Listen | 02:42 Over several years, Kearns befriended the boys and, crucially, their parents. 'Everybody adored him, everybody thought he was just this amazing man who gave so freely of his time for the local youth who were just hanging around all summer,' says Chris*, one of the men whose complaints led to the former scout leader's prosecution. 'He was a very charismatic, attractive, friendly, gentle man – that was his persona. It was just this kind, caring person that would happily look after your kids.' On a sunny afternoon, sitting in his livingroom, Chris recalls how the 1980s were 'a completely different time'. 'Everybody was a latchkey kid in the summer in Ireland,' he says, describing carefree days when children regularly went without adult supervision. Chris was raised by a single mother. Kearns became a mentor and, ultimately, a father figure. 'I called him Dad,' he says, adding that his mother was 'delighted' he had a positive male role model in his life. 'I called him dad': 'Chris' speaks about how he was groomed and abused by Neville Kearns Listen | 02:42 He doesn't believe he was abused because his mother was a single parent who worked outside the home to provide for her family. 'I was abused because he found a vulnerability in me and exploited it,' he says. Others allegedly abused by Kearns grew up with both parents or stay-at-home mothers, he recalls. Neville Kearns in his scout uniform Chris says he knew Kearns for about a year before anything inappropriate happened. By that stage, Chris trusted him 'completely'. 'It was letters first; I'd get little notes from him and he'd tell me how much he loved me,' he says. Over time, Chris says, Kearns started to become physical with him – ultimately forcing him to carry out sexual acts on a regular basis. At the height of the alleged abuse, he says, Kearns would frequently visit his house – unbeknown to Chris's mother – and assault him during the night. He would then 'hide under the bed until he could sneak out in the morning'. Chris describes the sexual acts perpetrated against him as 'horrific'. They had a 'profound impact' on his emotional state. 'He made me feel like I was the one who wanted it. It's very difficult to get past those emotions,' he says. 'I loved him as a father. I suppose that's why it all unwound for me as soon as I had kids. Fathers don't have sex with their children. What the hell was he doing?' Eileen Finnegan, a psychotherapist who helped Chris through intensive therapy, says the alleged grooming in this case is typical of predators; befriending boys and their families over a prolonged period of time so, when it finally happened, the abuse 'totally blindsided people'. 'The power and control and the level of grooming that he was able to do – he was absolutely systematic in what he was doing. He knew exactly what he was doing,' she says. Eileen Finnegan, psychotherapist and former clinical director of the charity One in Four. Photograph: Alan Betson Finnegan has extensively researched this area and previously served as the clinical director at One in Four, a charity that supports survivors of childhood sexual abuse. She says it is common for survivors of abuse to compartmentalise what happened to them – or block it out completely. 'For the mental wellbeing of the person, the brain actually comes in and splits off because it is so traumatic. It's a huge coping mechanism,' she says. [ View that child sex abuse is a thing of the past 'has allowed it to persist', says charity Opens in new window ] It is also relatively common for people not to disclose what happened to them until after their parents have died. Finnegan says survivors of abuse can find it difficult to tell their loved ones, especially parents, because it's usually them who welcomed the offenders into the family home. 'No child comes over with an adult and says: 'Mam and Dad, I'm after bringing a friend home for you.' It is mostly Mam and Dad there with a neighbour or friend or somebody that has begun to acquaint themselves with the family,' she says. Chris says that, while processing what had happened to him through therapy, he realised that it was unlikely he was the only one who had been targeted by Kearns. 'With the awful clarity of hindsight, I now look back at photographs from that time and I can identify the children [Kearns] likely targeted,' he says. The three men interviewed by The Irish Times say they were assaulted in numerous locations – often on camping trips. On several occasions, they claim, Kearns got them drunk on rum or port. Chris says the sexual acts perpetrated against him had a 'profound impact'. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw 'If I smell [rum] now, it makes me go somewhere, so I don't touch it,' says Michael*, another of those whose complaints led to the criminal prosecution being taken against Kearns. Michael says he was regularly abused on camping trips and at Kearns's house. On one occasion, he and other boys were visiting St Joseph's School For Deaf Boys in Cabra for a 'sleepover'. Kearns allegedly kept giving the boys mugs of rum. Michael got very drunk and remembers being carried out of the room. 'When I woke, it was in his private room. It still sends a shiver down my spine as to what happened that night,' he says. 'How many other boys, vulnerable boys, ended up there?' Becoming emotional, Michael says the abuse lasted for several years and he 'prayed' it would end. On multiple occasions as an adult, he 'pointed the car in the direction of Dundrum Garda station and started to drive'. 'But I never made it,' he says. In 2019, while sitting at home one evening, Michael told his wife what had happened to him as a child. 'I just blurted it out ... within an hour, we were at the Garda station,' he recalls. He didn't realise that, at around the same time, other men were also contacting the Garda or Tusla about Kearns. Ultimately, a case file was prepared for the office of the DPP, which agreed there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial. 'I categorically know that there are other men out there who have suffered at his hands but haven't come forward or, if they've come forward, they decided not to press charges,' Michael says. Whether they choose to contact gardaí or not, he adds, these men should seek support from a loved one or professional – if they feel ready to do so. Neville Kearns as a scout leader A spokesman for An Garda Síochána said the first statement of complaint they received about Kearns was made in May 2019. He was 'arrested and interviewed on several occasions' in relation to complaints made by five men, he added. 'Anyone who believes they may have been a victim or have knowledge of an alleged crime is encouraged to contact any Garda station,' the spokesman said. 'Victims can be assured that they will be supported and heard. An Garda Síochána will treat all reports sensitively and in confidence.' A spokeswoman for Scouting Ireland said that according to its records, Kearns ceased to be a member of the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland in 1976 and was not affiliated with any of the legacy scout organisations after that time. (The Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and Scout Association of Ireland merged to form Scouting Ireland in 2004.) [ Embattled Scouting Ireland board 'exhausted' by infighting, review finds Opens in new window ] She noted that Kearns established an independent youth group 'which was not authorised by, or affiliated to, the legacy scouting organisations'. 'Individuals who were members of [this group], and believed it to have been an official scout group, came forward disclosing abuse to Scouting Ireland in 2019 and 2020,' she said. The spokeswoman said Scouting Ireland recognises the men's 'bravery in speaking out', adding that the organisation has paid for counselling services. 'We encourage any individual who experienced abuse while in scouting to report the matter to the appropriate authorities or to Scouting Ireland's safeguarding team.' Neville Kearns on a scouting trip St Joseph's School for Deaf Boys no longer exists. It amalgamated with St Mary's School for Deaf Girls to form a new school, Holy Family School for the Deaf, in 2016. A spokeswoman for the new school said it 'adheres rigorously' to child protection legislation and guidelines. Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, said it cannot comment on individual cases but encouraged people to come forward if they needed support. As he reflects on the fact that a trial will now never take place, Chris says Kearns's death meant that 'he could just disappear into the footnotes of history without a trace'. Imagining what he would have said to Kearns in court, he says: 'You had the opportunity to face up to what you had done but you chose not to, and so you have left a despicable legacy of abuse over decades. How many more children did you violate? When did you stop? Did you stop? We will never know – that secret has gone to the grave with you, as your final act of cowardice.' Fourteen months on, pieces of shattered glass from Kearns's van still sit at the foot of the maple tree he crashed into in Churchtown. The men deprived of their day in court and the justice they sought will be picking up the pieces for years to come. * Names have been changed to protect the interviewees' identities ** Reporter Órla Ryan can be contacted at ** If you have been affected by anything in this story, please contact One in Four by e-mailing info@ or calling 01 66 24070; the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's freephone 24-Hour National Helpline can be reached by calling 1800 77 8888 * If you have had a similar experience, you can share this using the form below.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 7th: on nursing home revelations, Trump versus Musk and bird droppings
Sir, – It is 20 years, almost to the day, since RTÉ broadcast the Prime Time Investigates documentary which revealed the horrors of Leas Cross nursing home in Dublin. On Wednesday, further outstanding investigative journalism by RTÉ revealed yet more horror stories in Ireland's private nursing home sector. I have no words to adequately describe the anger, profound sadness and deep frustration I felt as I watched frail, vulnerable, elderly people being denied the most basic care. As I listened to frightened residents begging and pleading for help, I also felt an overwhelming sense of the deepest fear. READ MORE My mother lived with dementia for 20 years. She has a strong family history of dementia and all her siblings have either succumbed to, or are living with, Alzheimer's disease. I cared for my mother at home for many years. I am forever thankful that she received excellent quality care, and extended care, in both our acute and voluntary hospitals. Developing dementia is one of my greatest fears. I have no family. There will be nobody to fight for good care for me, or to advocate for me, should I also succumb to dementia. When I watched frail elderly residents with dementia being treated so horrifically on the RTÉ Investigates documentary this week, I despaired. Those residents were the victims of blatant abuse. Residents with advanced dementia would most likely be unable to accurately explain their experiences to anybody, or to identify their abusers. That also makes them easy targets for such abuse. I concluded that, should I ever be diagnosed with dementia and reach that stage of illness and dependency, I would rather not be alive than be at the mercy of such so-called 'care providers'. Twenty years after Leas Cross such horrors are still happening. What does it take to make this stop? Or will this latest horror simply result in more transient outrage, more eloquent statements and yet more empty promises, until the next time? Is there always going to be a next time? – Yours, etc, BERNADETTE BRADY (PHD), Rathfarnham, Dublin. Sir, – The RTÉ Investigates programme, Inside Ireland's Nursing Homes, was truly disturbing. RTÉ and all who contributed to the making of the programme, both to camera and undercover, deserve our thanks. It does however raise some important questions which a follow-on programme might wish to address. Twenty-five years after the Leas Cross scandal, and the follow-on establishment of the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), how come care in congregated settings is increasingly provided in large for profit facilities (a worrying trend to which Hiqa has drawn attention) and what difference would it make if the Health Service Executive (HSE) were to build and run more such facilities? How come private and voluntary (non-HSE) nursing homes are not part of the overall planning process for integrated services in the six new regional HSE organisations, despite a clearly identified need to improve clinical governance across the sector as suggested by the expert group on nursing homes which reported during the Covid pandemic? Where is the evidence of follow through on all the recommendations for the development of a wider range of alternatives to nursing homes, including the development of small scale 'Household / Teaghleach'models of nursing home and congregated care? Why is the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), essentially a medical procedures agency, still involved in 'purchasing' care for older people through a nursing home support scheme (Fair Deal) administered by the HSE across all nursing homes (most of which it does not control) while the regulator, Hiqa, has no role in regulating the payment levels to those nursing homes? Why is the Law Reform Commission report on adult safeguarding, published in April 2024, not being progressed with urgency by the Oireachtas given that the report included draft legislation? The RTÉ programme concerned two nursing homes owned by Emeis, formerly Orpea. There is plenty of information available concerning Orpea, particularly in France (where it was partially nationalised), to have at least raised concerns. There must have been some awareness of this and consideration of the possible consequences for older people in Ireland when they were allowed operate in the Irish market. It is interesting to note that the group's facility in Portlaoise is described as a nursing home but with a capacity for 101 residents it is not far off the size of Portlaoise hospital. To describe such a facility as a 'home from home' is seriously mistaken. The images of abusive and cruel behaviour and of residents corralled into one room are more suggestive of a human warehouse than a home. Finally, for all those many staff currently providing care in nursing homes to the highest standard they possibly can, in the often difficult circumstances in which they find themselves, it would be helpful if they could rely on a public system of support and guidance, including clinical support and governance, to deal with issues and concerns at short notice rather than having to await an occasional inspection from the regulator followed by a report some while later. Regulation and inspection are important but they are no longer enough. Practical supports to encourage quality care are far more likely to pick up on issues and have them addressed as they arise. – Yours ,etc. MERVYN TAYLOR, Stillorgan, Dublin. Sir, – The RTÉ Investigates programme laid bare the inhumane treatment of vulnerable residents in private nursing homes – many of whom are paying exorbitant fees of €1,400 per week. At such a staggering cost, these individuals could instead receive dignified, high-quality home care in the comfort of their own communities. That these abuses persist is a damning indictment of systemic failure. Hiqa, tasked with safeguarding standards, has clearly failed residents, families, and the State. Paper-based inspections and sporadic visits are not enough to prevent cruelty behind closed doors. If we are serious about accountability, Hiqa must have a permanent, on-the-ground presence in every facility, with 24/7 monitoring via live video feeds covering all areas – excluding only private bathrooms for dignity. Modern technology makes this feasible; what's lacking is political will. Why not implement this? If prisons and childcare centres can adopt stringent oversight, why not nursing homes, where our most fragile citizens reside? Until real-time transparency is enforced, families will never trust that their loved ones are safe. This isn't just about regulation – it's about basic humanity. – Yours, etc, PETER MALBASHA, Co Dublin. Sir, – This nursing care scandal has scared many people. My 80-year-old mother has just told me how, as she was lighting her candles for her grandchildren sitting their Leaving Certificate, she also lit one for herself. Her prayer is that she doesn't fall, break her hip and end up in a nursing home like that. Calling for help, with no one answering. I hope our Minister for Older People is listening, because this is a loud voting issue. – Yours, etc, CARMEL DOYLE, Beaumont Woods, Dublin 9. Trade union dues Sir, – Do I get a hint of disdain in Barry Walsh's letter (June 5th) about unions suggesting all should pay dues whether a union member or not ? He wonders why the general secretary of Fórsa earns three times the average pay. Does he suggest they earn the same as a shop-floor worker? I have been lucky to have been a union member most of my working life especially having been made redundant once. I do think it unfair that some colleagues refuse to join a union but at the same time are more than happy to accept the pay and benefits that a union has negotiated or earned, often by its members having to strike. – Yours, etc, ENDA SCANLON, Ennis, Co Clare. Trinity College and Israel Sir, – In deciding to boycott and divest from Israel, Trinity College Dublin has, in my view, abandoned the key principle of institutional neutrality which should underpin the actions of a serious university. In 1967, the University of Chicago led the way on this fundamental issue during the white heat of the campus riots across America during the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa. The faculty debated how a university should respond to the burning political and social issues of the day. When passions are running high, what should a university say or do when activists demand it choose sides and take action? Chicago's conclusion was straightforward: the university must remain neutral in order to meet its long-term core mission of the 'discovery, improvement, and dissemination of knowledge'. This did not mean ignoring difficult issues. Faculty and students must have full freedom of criticism, dissent and open inquiry, but the university itself 'is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic'. Bizarrely, the board's chairman noted explicitly in a message to the college community that while Trinity is engaged in a number of EU-funded research consortia which include Israeli partners 'here is no evidence to associate any of these with breaches of international humanitarian law or human rights violations.' So what is Trinity's problem with individual Israeli academics and universities who are often eloquent critics of their governments' actions and policies? Is it not overreach to insist that the 'college should seek to align itself with like-minded universities and bodies in an effort to influence EU policy concerning Israel's participation in such collaborations?' So many questions remain unanswered. Can Trinity's decades long partnerships with Intel continue when the tech firm is thought to be Ireland's biggest importer of Israeli goods, most from its sister factory in Kiryat Gat? Are Trinity's teaching hospitals, St James's and Tallaght, now prohibited from accessing Israeli medical products and pharmaceuticals? Can Trinity's partnerships with American universities and companies continue given stringent US anti-boycott legislation? What now for Trinity's Herzog Centre, the only institution in Ireland offering Jewish studies, when your university has decided to boycott the world's only Jewish state? In singling out Israel alone for boycott and divestment while maintaining ties with other countries with well-documented human rights violations, Trinity has opened itself to the charge of institutional anti-Semitism and racism. I am ashamed of my alma mater. – Yours, etc, DR JANE MAHONY, BA (Mod), PhD, Trinity College, Dublin. Birds dropping Sir, – Reading Frank McNally's column on the provenance of James 'Skin the Goat' Fitzharris's reflection on informers , I wonder if it may come from the belief held in many places that being shat on by a bird is a sign of good luck? Personally I have never held much store in this, having been the victim many years ago on Brighton seafront of a seagull who had had a very large lunch, resulting in my repair to the nearest boutique to purchase a fresh T-shirt. That said, perhaps the informer never overflown will never again have the gift of good luck? – Yours, etc. JOHN F MCELHONE, Co Donegal. Critical climate omission Sir, – That there is a report by the Environmental Protection Agency about global warming´s effect on Ireland is welcome. ( 'Communications, transport and health of older people at increased risk from global warming, says EPA,' June 3rd). Frightening as it is in its current form, the report has a critical omission. It is has not addressed the dramatic effects of the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc). In lay man's terms, this ocean current keeps Ireland habitable. Otherwise it would have the climatic conditions of southern Alaska and Canada's Hudson Bay. The weakening or ending of the Amoc is probable. It is certainly an existential threat to Ireland. Ireland is not geared for an average winter temperature of –18 degrees. It is presently comfortably above 0 degrees. It is very surprising that the EPA has decided not to include this essential element. Policymakers need all the information to get to comprehend the scale of the challenge. The Irish Government, regardless of its political hue, needs to understand the new business as usual will involve planning and action to protect the State and its citizens. I don't believe that the timescale is as long as many politicians assume. One of the stand-out facts from my Earth Science education (1992) was the speed of climate change. The Younger Dryas climatic period ended over less than 50 years, so starting our current phase. Climate systems are stable until they are not. – Yours, etc, RICHARD HERRIOTT, Aarhus, Denmark. Trumping Trump v Musk Sir, – We can all now relax and enjoy watching the world's two biggest egos burn themselves out in front of a potential audience of billions. Could this be the template for settling all global disputes in the future? Yours, etc, NIALL GINTY, Killester, Dublin. Sir, – The very serious online and very public spat between the world's most powerful man and the world's richest man is a 'big beautiful example' of how reciprocity works in real time. – Yours, etc, NOIRIN HEALY, Goatstown, Dublin. Sir, – In the very public, very dirty divorce between Trump and Musk who will get custody of JD Vance? – Yours, etc, BRID MILLER, Athlone Road, Roscommon. Sir, – I wonder did Elon Musk realise how his social media platform X would become really so apt! – Yours, etc, AIDAN RODDY, Cabinteely, Dublin 18. Funding and the arts Sir, – The tenor of Yvonne O'Reilly's letter about funding the arts in yesterday's letters page chimed with the findings of a research project I recently undertook with colleagues from Queen's University, Belfast, and Liverpool University into a wide range of 'Arts for Peace' projects in Northern Ireland. Too often what passes for evaluation is really about accountability with funded organisations wanting to assure funders they have achieved their set goals. Funders for their part tend to see it as a purely administrative process, with vasts amount of data going largely unanalysed. But the value of this data must be questionable given the limited scope for acknowledging what is learnt from unsuccessful aspects of funded projects and outcomes that were not envisaged at the time of application. I can reassure your correspondent, however, that there are examples of good practice out there that will hopefully in due course inform a more productive evaluation culture. – Yours, etc. DAVID GRANT, School of Arts, English, and Languages, Queen's University, Belfast.
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
'Release garda findings to aid domestic violence services', Clodagh Hawe's sister tells commissioner
Jacqueline Connolly, whose sister and three nephews were murdered by Alan Hawe, has written to the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, asking for a review into the garda investigation to be published. Hawe murdered his wife Clodagh and sons Liam, 13; Niall, 11; and six-year-old Ryan at their home in Co Cavan in 2016, before taking his own life. The investigation into the murders was found to be incomplete and flawed in a number of respects and a review was ordered after Jacqueline and her mother went public on the matter. In her memoir Deadly Silence, Ms Connolly revealed the family was given sight of the completed review — which ran to 800 pages — but the family was not furnished with a copy. Ms Connolly believes it should be published in order to help prevent any similar tragedy from occurring in the future. 'I am appealing to you to release the findings in an appropriate way so that the timelines, behaviours, and patterns of family annihilators are given to the public, for those in abusive and controlling relationships, and to aid domestic violence services in expanding and advancing their policies,' she wrote to commissioner Drew Harris. "This, in turn, will align with the prevention and protection pillars of the Government's third national strategy on domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence" Speaking on The Mick Clifford Podcast, Ms Connolly said she met with justice minister Jim O'Callaghan in March to ask for his assistance in having the review published — but nothing has been done. Warning signs She said that the learnings to be taken from the review are vital in trying to ensure that a similar tragedy does not occur again. 'I've received hundreds of messages since the release of Deadly Silence, and some have been from women who read my book and said: 'You've shown me warning signs, it's really raised red flags with me, I'm in the process of quietly leaving my partner.' If 'Deadly Silence' can do that, imagine the power impact that the truth in the findings [of the review] would reveal and the lives that could be saved Her call for publication of the review is supported by Women's Aid, the support organisation for the victims of domestic violence. Sarah Benson, the chief executive of Women's Aid, told the Irish Examiner that since the publication of Ms Connolly's book, she had been contacted by women for whom elements of the story had resonated. 'Some who contacted me said they felt lucky that they may have had a near miss in terms of the risks they have been subjected to in a relationship,' Ms Benson said. 'It could be extremely beneficial and in the public interest to have reports like this shared in order to do what Jacqueline is saying, to help understand where there may have been missed opportunities, and to better bolster community response to domestic abuse and the risks associated with it.' Key flaws A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána told the Irish Examiner that in general 'reviews conducted by the Garda Serious Crime Team are not published for operational reasons'. The spokesperson also referred to a statement from Mr Harris on the case dating from 2019. In her book, Ms Connolly wrote that the review uncovered three key flaws with the original investigation. These were the mishandling of CCTV evidence, the interviewing of witnesses without the proper expertise, and digital evidence that simply was not collected. She said that accommodation could be made for redactions where the gardaí thought necessary but that there are huge learnings to be taken from the detail of how Alan Hawe conducted himself and where red flags could be raised in the future. 'It's frustrating and angering that I, as Clodagh's sister and the boys' aunt, am here again fighting for justice? Why should that have to happen? Why should the onus be on me to fight to do what's right for women and children?' she said. - If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please click here for a list of support services. Women's Aid national helpline is 1800 341 900
