Latest news with #Casey
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Gardaí taking no further investigation into original Bishop Eamonn Casey file
Gardaí are taking no further action into the original investigation file on disgraced Bishop Eamonn Casey. The review was conducted by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB) at the request of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. A garda spokesperson said: 'This review has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified." The request came after an RTÉ documentary titled Bishop Casey's Buried Secrets examined the Catholic Church's handling of abuse allegations made against Casey. Multiple allegations of child sex abuse were made against the Bishop, including from his niece Patricia Donovan. She claimed that he first raped her at five years old and the abuse continued for years. Ms Donovan told the documentary: 'The horror of being raped by him when I was five, the violence. And it just carried on in that vein. He had no fear of being caught. 'He thought he could do what he liked, when he liked, how he liked… He was almost, like, incensed that I would dare fight against him, that I would dare try and hurt him, I would dare try and stop him… It didn't make any difference.' The former CEO of The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in Ireland, Ian Elliott, described Bishop Casey as 'a sexual predator'. He told RTÉ: 'It should have been stopped… those that have been distressed and hurt should be helped and supported by the Church. That is a major priority.' Patricia Donovan (Image: RTÉ) Child sexual abuse allegations against Casey were reported to gardaí, but he was never charged. He vehemently denied all of these allegations when he was alive. The former Bishop of Galway died in 2017 and was buried in the crypt of Galway Cathedral. However, on Friday the diocese of Galway confirmed that his remains were removed and they are now with his family. In a statement, Galway Disocesan Office thanked everyone 'for their understanding of the situation, for their patience and for their respect as this process was undertaken and brought to a conclusion". It added: 'Significant consensus emerged around the unique role of a Cathedral as a place of unity rather than division, healing rather than hurt and peace rather than disquiet.' Casey resigned from his post as Bishop of Galway and Kilmacduagh in 1992 after it was revealed that he had an affair with American woman Annie Murphy, which resulted in the birth of their son. The Vatican later confirmed that he was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 following 'allegations', which included complaints of child sexual abuse. However, this wasn't made publicly aware when he was alive and was only revealed during RTÉ's documentary last year. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Extra.ie
3 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Community 'safety' group includes violent offenders and killer as members
A failed far-right election candidate who ranted 'I'm going all Texas on it. I got guns' in a disturbing post about asylum seekers is a founding member of 'vigilante' group Sinne na Daoine, has learned. Another founding member of the anti-immigrant group – which claims to have 'over 1,000' members – and a fellow failed election candidate, threatened to 'storm' the Dáil this week in a series of social media posts. And can further reveal – after reporting recently that a convicted father killer was in the group – that a separate person strongly associated with the sinister group is currently before the courts for a violent crime. Sinne na Daoine leader with Ger McNamara. Pic: File The worrying remarks about having guns were made in a 2022 post by Martin Murphy, who ran in last year's local elections for the Irish Freedom Party, in Tipperary's Carrick-on-Suir constituency. He also remarked on a post about former British prime minister Liz Truss and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen: 'Ask which you would shoot if you only had 1 bullet.' The previous year, the former candidate and current Ireland First 'national organiser' posted a series of tweets calling for Fine Gael TDs and senators to be sent to the 'gallows'. understands Sinne na Daoine was founded last year by approximately ten people, including Mr Murphy and the president of the Ireland First party, Anthony Casey. It has been backed by ex-MMA star and self-styled presidential candidate Conor McGregor. Mr Casey said this week the Dáil needs to be 'stormed already'. The former Kildare South candidate made the comments on a post that claimed the Dublin streets 'run red with the blood of our own'. 'Do you still think @SinneNaDaoine is too extreme? Still think I'm too militant?,' he asked. 'How many innocent Irish lives are you willing to sacrifice? 'Don't be concerned about my 'electability'.' He added, the 'Dáil needs to be stormed already!!' When it was put to him by a follower that he should 'stop pontificating' and 'storm it', Mr Casey replied he will be there 'front and centre'. 'There are over 1000 in Sinne na Daoine now,' he said. 'Trust me, I am working on it, and I will be there front and centre. There's a reason I'm adopting a multi-pronged approach as I've said from the get go.' He continued: 'There are strong patriots around the movement that I need to sit down with first in order to achieve this effectively.' The revelations about its founding members come as can report that a man connected to Sinne na Daoine is currently charged with a serious violent crime. The man can't be named for legal reasons but has previously attended a Sinne na Daoine meeting at which he spoke. recently revealed another man, who bludgeoned his own father to death, is also a central figure in Sinne na Daoine. Ger McNamara. Pic: File Killer Gerard McNamara – who kicked and beat his own father to death – is part of the group that previously revealed has begun staging street patrols and has members in almost every county in the country. A photo from the group's first patrol in Limerick city shows McNamara, 37, posing beside Anthony Casey. The group were dressed in orange vests featuring the Sinne na Daoine logo. An informed source described the group as 'vigilantes' who 'put up stickers on the streets they patrol'. 'They are organised and anyone who wants to join is screened,' said the source. 'One of the women does the screening, and you have to do a FaceTime call or 30-second video [before being allowed onto their online forums].' Killer McNamara was sentenced to eight years in prison, with the final two years suspended, in 2012, for killing his father in a drink-fuelled row. He pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to the manslaughter of Joseph 'Joey' O'Donnell, 48 at Hyde Road, Prospect, in Limerick, on October 1, 2010. Joseph O'Donnell died in hospital from blunt force trauma to the head, hours after his son had kicked and beaten him with a number of household items and a full can of beer. Last week, revealed how a Muslim man was hospitalised with a broken jaw after convicted killer McNamara, who is involved in the far-right 'community watchdog' group, wrongly accused him of inappropriately approaching children in a park. The footage, which went viral on social media before it was labelled 'misinformation' by gardaí, was filmed by McNamara and posted to his TikTok account. McNamara has also addressed his criminal past in a video he posted to his TikTok account. In the video, he claimed he had no idea why people are commenting under his posts that he was a murderer and that he didn't want to have to 'lower himself' by explaining to people what actually happened. He said: 'Who never had a drink with someone, got in a row and hit him in the head?' He added: 'He died three days later. I got charged with manslaughter. He's my dad. I love him. I miss him.' He also doubled down on the video he posted about the man in the park, saying there is 'evidence' of 'this Muslim foreign fella' approaching children – but without providing any proof or evidence to back up his claim. Sinne na Daoine publicised their first and second 'patrols' in Limerick city and Clonmel, in Co. Tipperary, on social media earlier in the year. They have also listed the names of companies or people they label 'plantation enablers' on their website. Meanwhile, Martin Murphy previously attempted to downplay his threatening posts when contacted by us. He said the tweets were posted before he declared his intention to run in the local election and described them as 'gallows humour'.
The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
No further investigation into Bishop Eamonn Casey following garda review
GARDAÍ WILL NOT be taking any further investigative actions following a review of the original file on Bishop Eamonn Casey. The review was conducted by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB) at the request of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in the wake of the documentary 'Bishop Casey's Secrets' last year, in which Casey was described as a sexual predator. The programme examined the Catholic Church's handling of abuse allegations made against Casey, who died in 2017 aged 87. Multiple allegations of child sex abuse were made against Casey. The programme included an interview with his niece, Patricia Donovan, who claimed he first raped her at the age of five and that the sexual abuse continued for years. Advertisement Casey denied allegations of child sexual abuse made against him during his life, and though complaints were reported to An Garda Síochana, he was never charged with any sexual crimes. A garda spokesperson today confirmed that the following the GNSB review of the original investigation file on Casey, 'no further investigative actions have been identified'. It comes after the remains of the disgraced Bishop were removed from the Cathedral crypt in Galway and were entrusted to the care of his family. The Galway Diocesan Office yesterday said that they would like to thank people for their understanding and patience while the process to decide what action should be carried out was underway. 'Significant consensus emerged around the unique role of a Cathedral as a place of unity rather than division, healing rather than hurt and peace rather than disquiet,' the office said. The documentary on Casey also revealed how a six-figure settlement was paid by the Catholic Church to one complainant after Casey's deatg, and that the Vatican had banned Casey from public ministry in 2007 following 'allegations'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- RTÉ News
No further investigation into Bishop Eamonn Casey
A review by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau into the original investigation file on Bishop Eamonn Casey has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified. The confirmation comes following an announcement by the Galway Diocese that the remains of the late bishop have been removed from the crypt of Galway Cathedral. Following the broadcast of the documentary 'Bishop Casey's Secrets' last year, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris requested that the Garda National Protective Services Bureau examine the original investigation file into Bishop Eamonn Casey. Gardaí have confirmed that the review has been completed and no further investigative actions have been identified. Residential Institutions Survivors Network spokesperson William Gorry said the news of Bishop Casey's removal from the crypt brought memories back for abuse survivors of their treatment by the Catholic Church. Mr Gorry said he had been fielding calls from other survivors who he said found it "sick" to see "privacy and quiet" surrounding the removal of Bishop Casey's remains. The former Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin acknowledged that today would be difficult in respect of the family and those who have suffered. He noted that the Bishop of Galway promised to investigate the matter and it was obvious that a lot of consultation was done. He added that the statement issued by the Galway Diocese was "thoughtful and sensible".
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
‘It was long overdue': Move to remove disgraced Bishop Eamonn Casey from Galway Cathedral praised by clergy and campaigners
The family of disgraced bishop Eamonn Casey now face the prospect of whether to cremate his remains or bury him, after the Galway Diocese confirmed that his remains have been removed from the crypt of Galway Cathedral. The move — which had been deliberated on for nearly a year by his family, the Galway Diocese and Catholic Church hierarchy — follows multiple allegations of child sexual abuse, and the revelation last year that he was removed from ministry by the Vatican a decade before he died, a restriction which was never publicly known. Casey is the first Irish bishop to be removed from his resting place after the allegations of abuse were exposed, in addition to the alleged cover-up by the church amid public outcry. Colm O'Gorman, who is a long-time campaigner for survivors of clerical sexual abuse, said the disinterment was 'obviously the right decision'. Mr O'Gorman, a survivor of abuse at the hands of the late Fr Seán Fortune, said that burying somebody in a "cathedral crypt makes a statement about that person's standing and reputation, numbering them among the 'great and the good'. 'Obviously, it [the burial in the ¬cathedral crypt] was a source of great offence and hurt to Bishop Casey's victims,' Mr O'Gorman added. The founder of the One in Four group, which supports survivors of sexual abuse, said he hoped the decision to allow Casey's family to re-inter his body elsewhere 'would bring some closure to his victims , particularly because his interment there [in Galway Cathedral] caused very great hurt.' Eamonn Casey, who was once one of Ireland's most popular and publicly charismatic bishops, was the subject of an RTÉ documentary last year, produced in association with the Irish Mail on Sunday following a long-running investigation. The documentary was presented by Anne Sheridan, now news editor of the Sunday Independent. It revealed that Casey faced five child abuse allegations, over four decades, from the 1950s to the 1980s, and in every Irish diocese where he served. ADVERTISEMENT Three of those allegations relate to the Limerick diocese, with one woman receiving a settlement of over €100,000. Another woman received a settlement through the Residential Institutions Redress Board. Casey's niece, Patricia Donovan, made a complaint to gardaí that she was abused by him from the age of five for over a decade. The programme revealed that Casey was formally removed from public ministry in 2007 by the Vatican, but the church never disclosed this to the public. Fr Patsy Lynch, a Kerry priest who ripped up photos showing his ordination by Casey, who was then Bishop of Kerry, after the programme aired, also welcomed the move by the Galway Diocese. He told the Irish Independent: 'This action is long overdue. My thoughts are with Patricia Donovan and others abused by Eamonn Casey.' A number of days after the programme aired, the Galway diocese released a statement saying: 'The interment of Bishop Casey in the cathedral crypt now requires a period of careful consideration and consultation, which has already begun. 'Time and space are required to adequately and appropriately bring this undertaking to completion.' Yesterday, nearly a year since the programme aired, the diocese said Casey's remains 'have been moved from the cathedral crypt and entrusted to the care' of the family. Patricia Donovan, from Limerick, first reported Bishop Casey for alleged abuse in 2005 after it allegedly began in the late 1960s for over a decade. Ms Donovan spoke out for the first time in 2019. Detectives in Limerick travelled to England to take a statement from her in January 2006 but, by August of the same year, the Director of Public Prosecutions directed that no charges be brought on 13 sample allegations. Bishop Casey later said that he was 'utterly amazed' by the speed of the decision from the DPP, claiming that he had only been interviewed by gardai a few weeks prior. He denied her allegations. He was never convicted of any crimes.
