The head of one of the country’s leading charities believes the Government has been grossly negligent in failing to adequately supervise where billions of taxpayers’ money has been spent in the charities sector.

An 82-year-old paedophile and former garda was jailed yesterday as a judge said prison would give him time to reflect on his awful sexual abuse of four boys 50 years ago, two of whom suffered from polio.

A former garda and scout master abused boys when he was in charge of a troop for disabled children, a court has heard.