Norris rejects attempt at ‘sabotage’

SENATOR David Norris has said the resurfacing of comments attributed to him about incest and the age of consent is an attempt to “sabotage” his presidential bid.

The comments originally appeared in an article by Helen Lucy Burke in Magill magazine in 2002.

Ms Burke appeared on Monday’s Liveline programme to re-publicise the comments, as she felt the public should be aware of them in light of Mr Norris’ presidential ambitions.

On RTÉ’s Today with Pat Kenny yesterday, Mr Norris said the comments were taken out of context, were not direct quotes and were an attempt to sabotage his campaign.

“This is an attempt to sabotage my campaign. It’s a 10-year-old article. There is nothing new and I want to ask why is this being brought up now... I abhor, and I’ve made that clear, again and again on the record, I abhor the abuse of children, sexual, emotional or physical,” he said.

Ms Burke says Mr Norris cleared the article in advance and requested some minor corrections, which were duly made.

Mr Norris says he did not endorse the article but was read just two paragraphs, one of which he requested to be changed. The changes were not made, he says.

He questioned why “an academic discussion” about sexuality in ancient Greece was being brought up again, almost a decade later.

“These are the greatest insults that can be levelled against any man, any person. Look at my speeches on the Roscommon incest case. Look at what I said on the Ryan Report. I was one of the very few people in the House that read those reports from beginning to end and put a clear and concise case showing what had happened and how it could be prevented.”

Mr Norris rejected Ms Burke’s inference that he endorsed incest.

“Incest is illegal. I am a legislator. Do people think I have lost my reason altogether? That I would be advocating criminal behaviour?”

Mr Norris said he would only take the matter to court if Ms Burke continued to force the issue.

“I’ve placed the material with my legal advisors but I’m very reluctant take an elderly person of, presumably, limited means to drag them through the courts.”

Ms Burke says she has found a cassette tape which she believes contains the recording of the interview but does not have a machine on which to play it.