Shock as ex-minister accused of child sex abuse

Gardaí will not approach a former government minister about allegations of child sexual abuse until they have completed the first phase of their investigation, senior sources said yesterday.

There was widespread shock when the allegations emerged yesterday as the long-time politician is widely respected in political circles and the public at large.

The allegations refer to historical cases of child sexual abuse, thought to date back to the 1980s and 1990s, before he entered Government.