A judge overseeing a lawsuit by the family of a California boy molested by his troop leader has ordered the Boy Scouts of America to hand over confidential files containing accusations of sexual abuse by its leaders throughout the country.

A jury ordered the Boy Scouts of America to pay $18.5m to a man who was sexually abused by a former assistant Scoutmaster in what is believed to be the largest such award against the national organisation.

THE US Boy Scouts organisation has been ordered to pay $1.4 million (€1m) to a man who claimed he was sexually abused by a leader as a child.

The US Boy Scouts organisation has been ordered to pay $1.4m (€1m) to a man who claimed he was sexually abused by a leader as a child.

THE lawyer for a US man who filed a $29 million (€21m) sex abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America told a jury the Scouts knew they had a serious problem but failed to act.

The lawyer for a US man who filed a $29m (€21.6m) sex abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America told a jury the Scouts knew they had a serious problem but failed to act.

The Boy Scouts of America showed reckless indifference to protecting young Scouts when it kept confidential two decades worth of files on suspected molesters among its troop leaders, a psychologist testified as part of a $14m lawsuit against the organisation.

The Catholic Primate and Archbishop of Armagh Dr Sean Brady is tonight preparing to be made a Cardinal in the Vatican.

Two gay Boy Scout leaders in the US today lost their bid to return to the organisation when an appeal court overturned an order that they be reinstated as troop leaders.

The US Scout movement is being urged to rethink its ‘‘no gays’’ policy by leaders of nine of its regional councils.