THOUSANDS of sex abuse victims may be able to sue their attackers years after the offences following a Law Lords ruling involving Lotto rapist Iorworth Hoare.

EAMON LEAHY, one of the state’s most high-profile barristers, the husband of government chief whip Mary Hanafin and tipped to be a future Attorney General, was yesterday described as one of the finest minds of his generation following his death at the age of 46.

A RECORD 100 serious assaults were reported by prison officers last year and over €2m was paid out in compensation, it emerged yesterday.