Mick Clifford: Strange silence on failure to protect a vulnerable group

Anthony Flynn became a significant figure in advocating for rough sleepers since he set up Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) in 2013. However, a number of allegations of sexual assault or similar behaviour have been made against him. 

Imagine for a minute the following scenario. A college lecturer is arrested after a young female student, obviously distressed, complains that he sexually assaulted her. 

The lecturer is interviewed, his home raided under warrant, personal items taken away. A similar complaint is made less than two weeks later by another female student. The lecturer is arrested again, interviewed, his home raided again, more personal items taken away.

The investigation continues but nobody tells the college authorities. The lecturer, in a position of some power, is allowed continued access to female students for months despite knowledge among An Garda Síochána that he is potentially a dangerous predator.

If such a scenario were to happen, and then details of it emerged in the public domain, there would be outrage. Agencies that advocate for women who have suffered physical or sexual violence would correctly demand answers. The issue would be the subject of thundering rhetoric on the floor of the Dáil.

Government figures would agree that this was unacceptable and declare that an inquiry will be launched. The scope of the inquiry, unless it is public or headed up by a judicial figure, would be the subject of much political rancour. Questions would be asked as to whether it is safe any longer for women to walk the streets.

Thankfully, the above is fiction. But it has now emerged that a similar scenario did arise last month, except the suspected predator was a politician and founder of a homeless agency, and the potential victims were vulnerable young men who sleep on the streets.

Anthony Flynn became a significant figure in advocating for rough sleepers since he set up Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) in 2013. There is no reason to doubt that he was initially driven entirely by compassion for those he saw sleeping on the streets. 

He was a tireless advocate and he quickly grasped that he had good political instincts. In 2019 he was elected to Dublin City Council. What now seems apparent is that at some point the values that drove him to set up the agency became obscured by personal issues. 

The details of what ailed him do not matter in terms of his public or work life. What does is that a number of allegations of sexual assault or similar behaviour have been made against him. 

The first complainant came forward as a result of hospitalisation after spending time with Mr Flynn last May. The second came forward following an encounter with Mr Flynn 13 days later. 

Two incidents in quick succession, the second occurring despite his arrest and the Garda raid on his house, should have set off alarm bells. This man, in a position of power, was potentially dangerous to a cohort of mainly young men who live on the street and are, by definition, very vulnerable.

Yet ICHH was not officially informed by the gardaí. Mr Flynn had been Garda vetted, yet the force now had — at the very least — what could be described as “soft information” about him that should have seen his vetting withdrawn. The board of ICHH should have been informed that the chief executive of the agency was under investigation.

Nothing was done. Nearly three months later, the chair of ICHH was made aware of these issues through a phone call with a garda which originated with an entirely different query. Eleven days later, on August 18, Mr Flynn took his own life. Since then, at least two other men have come forward with allegations of a similar nature against Mr Flynn.

Deafening silence

There has been no outrage over the failure to inform ICHH in a timely manner that could have ensured Mr Flynn would have been removed from a position of power. There has been no thundering rhetoric, no calls for an inquiry. 

The board of ICHH retained a senior counsel to investigate the affair, but if the alleged victims were, say, young middle-class women, rather than vulnerable young men, would this be regarded as sufficiently independent by the body politic?

The most benign explanation is that the failure on the part of An Garda Síochána was not intentional, but merely reflects the values of society in general. When there is political capital to be garnered from the plight of the homeless, there are plenty willing to advocate on behalf of them. 

In this instance, the silence has been deafening.

Garda vetting

The second issue that arises from the whole mess is the absence of Garda vetting for a large number of people who interact with those sleeping on the streets. Professional bodies — including ICHH as it had developed — do have vetting for key workers. 

But volunteers — ICHH had up to 200 volunteers — are not vetted. According to the Garda Press Office, “the provision of homeless services are not specifically identified as ‘relevant work or activity’ at Schedule 1 National Vetting Bureau (Children & Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016.

“This being the case, it is not mandatory that all staff working in homeless services are required to be vetted,” the spokesperson said.

In the last seven or eight years, in response to the housing and homeless crisis, groups have popped up all over the place assisting rough sleepers. One estimate from informed sources in Cork suggests there are eight such groups in the city. There are even more in Dublin, with one group travelling from the midlands to distribute food at night time.

All of this is very well-intentioned but it also potentially provides easy access to vulnerable people from anybody disposed to being a predator. If a parent, or any adult, takes up even the most periphery role in underage sport, they must be Garda vetted. 

I have had experience helping out with both GAA and soccer underage teams. Separate vetting is required for the different codes. If a parent has time to help out with other forms of sport also they must be vetted for each one individually. 

It can be a pain in the neck but is in place for the reason that predators are cunning and maximum protection must be afforded to children.

By contrast, there is no equivalent protection for people who are homeless and vulnerable to exploitation. Anybody can set up a stall at night time to distribute various forms of aid and sustenance to rough sleepers, and anybody can rock up and volunteer to give a handout.

Tragic experience from the past has inculcated in society the need to be vigilant about those who might exploit a vulnerability in various cohorts of our society. Unfortunately, this vigilance does not extend to those who exist at the margins, who, in this respect at least, are left to fend for themselves.