Abuse survivors ‘bullied’ by State

The Department of Education has been accused of “bullying tactics” after it wrote letters to people who were sexually abused in schools as children, warning them to drop their legal cases or potentially face significant costs.

It emerged yesterday that a number of people have received letters from lawyers for the department and the State, making reference to High Court judgements which found that a European Court of Human Rights ruling of State liability in the Louise O’Keeffe case was not applicable in other actions currently before the courts.

However, a solicitor representing some of those who have received the letters has said the High Court in Ireland was “not the final word” and that victims of childhood abuse were being subjected to “bullying tactics”.