Refusal to hold inquiry into St John Ambulance abuse 'absolutely devastating', says senator
A 2023 report by Dr Geoffrey Shannon into St John Ambulance found that dozens of young boys had been abused while volunteering there. Nobody has ever been held accountable for the abuse. File photo: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie
A senator has expressed concern that the minister for children is not going to hold a public inquiry into "serial and systematic abuse" on young boys in St John Ambulance.
Tom Clonan asked in the Seanad for an opportunity to address minister Norma Foley on the matter given the Seanad had unanimously voted for an investigation into the charity two years ago.
The minister recently told the she had “no plans for a public inquiry” into historical abuse at the charity where dozens of boys were sexually abused.
A 2023 report by Dr Geoffrey Shannon into St John Ambulance found that dozens of young boys had been abused while volunteering there. Nobody has ever been held accountable for the abuse.
In the Seanad, Mr Clonan said: "During Dr Shannon’s report he engaged with over 100 young men and boys who had been sexually abused, raped, whilst under the care of St John Ambulance.
"You think about the parents who hand their children over to an organisation like St John Ambulance, hand them over in loco parentis in good faith only to find that their children are sexually abused and raped."
He said he had been contacted by some of the survivors who told him that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had decided not to proceed with any charges following complaints by seven survivors.
"This is absolutely devastating for those survivors," said the senator.
"We all condemn toxic masculinity in this house, and on St. Patrick’s Day we had the spectacle of two rapists grinning and smirking and laughing from the Oval Office, and one of them purporting to represent the people of Ireland.
"We really need to stand firm, and I praise the Taoiseach and Tánaiste for their condemnation and rebuttal of that particular individual, whose name I won’t even mention here," he said.
Senator Clonan said that if Ireland is serious about sex offenders and sexual abusers and toxic masculinity it is "really important, that we ensure that the voices of boys and men who are survivors of sexual abuse – because it’s the same toxic dynamic, we need to listen to them."
He reminded the House that last year the Seanad had a debate about the publication of the Shannon report into St John Ambulance. "It was unanimously agreed that the report should be published, and it was," Mr Clonan continued.
"But it was also unanimously agreed here during the private members cross party, that there would be a full public inquiry into what has happened at St John Ambulance."
He also hit out at the charity’s core funding that he said was being used on solicitors and barristers to "forensically" examine complaints by survivors.
"They are also paying hundreds of thousands on a multi-annual basis on a PR contract – why is that money being spent in that way? We need accountability on St John Ambulance. I think as a House we should again demand the full public inquiry and the opportunity to ask that the minister reflect on her decision," he said.
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