Brothers’ denial offensive, says abuse survivor

THE leader of a victims support group yesterday described as “deeply offensive” remarks made by a Christian Brothers’ spokesman in relation to sexual abuse in industrial schools.

Brother Denis Gleeson said there was no widespread or systematic abuse in institutions run by the Christian Brothers and his congregation was not aware of abuse while it was going on.

However, one of the victims of abuse insisted that the practice was endemic and had been widely reported at the time but was ignored.

“I find Brother Gleeson’s remarks deeply offensive,” said Tom Hayes, secretary of the Alliance victims support group. “They did know what was going on because I spent eight years in Glin industrial school in Limerick and I made several complaints to the Christian Brothers at the time. None of them were ever followed through. Brother Gleeson is being economical with the truth.”

The congregation’s spokesman made his comments after the jailing on Tuesday of Brother Maurice Tobin. He was put behind bars for 12 years for raping and sexually assaulting 25 young boys at Letterfrack industrial school in Connemara.

Speaking on Morning Ireland, Brother Gleeson said the Christian Brothers’ statement last month denying widespread abuse still stood, despite Brother Tobin’s conviction and the evidence given of the reign of terror he conducted over 15 years.

“I don’t think Brother Tobin’s conviction is a conviction of anybody else, and I don’t know if other people will be convicted in the future. There is absolutely nothing to say in the light of that except to express our apology. Brother Gleeson added that the abuse that went on was not known at the time or for a long time afterwards.

“Abuse by its nature is covert. It is only in recent years, with police investigation, that we have come to know of it. How it can go on in institution or in a family without being discovered I simply cannot say.” He said the conviction did not invalidate last month’s statement.

However, Mr Hayes said he reported abuse he suffered several times but nothing was done.

“It was only when I went and spoke to Fr Dan Murphy, who was a curate in Glin, that the Christian Brothers did anything about it. Their method of dealing with the issue was to ostracise me. They removed me from serving Mass and removed me from working in the kitchen so I could not have any access to visitors.”

“It was allowed to continue because the Christian Brothers did not know how to deal with sexual abuse. There is no known case of a Brother being removed or a boy being removed from any industrial school as a result of a complaint of a sexual nature. If the Christian Brothers would only deal with those of us who want to see closure instead of continually trying to evade or minimise the complaints, I believe that would put an end to the whole sordid affair.”