ONE of the Garda’s top investigators is to examine whether gardaí, and other state officials, committed criminal offences in their handling of child sex abuse cases examined in the Murphy report.

PAEDOPHILE priests were allowed escape justice through the inaction and connivance of gardaí, the Murphy Report has found.

Survivors of clerical abuse demanded tonight that senior clergy and gardaí who allowed known paedophile priests to prey on defenceless children be brought to justice.

An abusive priest known as Fr Edmondus was not investigated by gardaí despite the opportunity for photographic evidence after attacks on sick children in hospital.

Paedophile priests escaped the consequences of the law because senior gardaí believed clerics were untouchable, it was revealed today.