Court clears way for publication of abuse report

The High Court has cleared the way for the publication of a HSE report into the health service’s handling of six children who were abused by their parents in the West of the Ireland.

The children’s mother and father are both currently imprisoned.

The report is due for release this evening.

One of the key issues addressed in the HSE report was as to why the six children were not taken into care until 2004 when the health services had already been involved with the family for a number of years.

Mr Justice John McMenamin today ruled that the publication of the report is in the public interest and any prohibition on its release may be misrepresented as some sort of "cover up".

The judge who met informally with the six children described them as brave but vulnerable and said what they wanted was for their voices to be heard.

He described their sense of anger, hurt, frustration, betrayal and fear not just because of the disturbing events they lived through but also as a result of the sensational media coverage of the criminal trials - experiences they do not wish to relive.