Brendan Smyth’s victims to take gardaí to court

Victims of paedophile priest Fr Brendan Smyth are to take legal action against the gardaí. The move follows revelations that officers in Dublin knew about his sex abuse in the early 1970s.

Solicitor Kevin Winters said civil proceedings were begun due to the “appalling failure” to stop Smyth.

“A number of victims of Smyth’s abuse have asked us to write to the Garda commissioner to find out why they didn’t act on a letter sent to Finglas Garda station in 1973,” said Mr Smyth.