Victim of Paedophile Smyth Calls for Brady to Be Arrested

By Greg Harkin
Irish Independent
June 2, 2012

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/victim-of-paedophile-smyth-calls-for-brady-to-be-arrested-3126003.html

CARDINAL Sean Brady should be arrested and questioned about withholding information, a victim of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth demanded last night.

Brendan Boland told the Irish Independent that a decision by the PSNI not to investigate the contents of a BBC programme in which he appeared last month showed that gardai should hold an inquiry.

Gardai refused to comment on whether or not they would interview Cardinal Brady.

But a statement from the PSNI piled pressure on gardai to hold an investigation after concluding that any "offences" happened south of the Border.

In a statement yesterday, the PSNI said there was "no evidence of any criminality on the part of Cardinal Brady within Northern Ireland".

The force went on: "The PSNI has consulted with and taken advice from the PPS on this matter. As none of the offences within this BBC programme occurred within Northern Ireland, there was no requirement for the PSNI to interview or question Cardinal Brady."

Notorious

Mr Boland told the BBC 'This World' programme that he had informed the then Fr Sean Brady in 1975 that he had been assaulted by notorious paedophile priest Smyth -- and he was interviewed by Cardinal Brady and other priests on the matter.

Cardinal Brady passed the results of his interviews to his bishop at the time but had failed to warn the parents of four other victims that they had also been abused.

In one case, Smyth continued to abuse that victim for a further year, his sister for seven years and cousins for another 13 years.

Reacting to the PSNI decision last night, Mr Boland told the Irish Independent: "It is clear that Sean Brady failed to inform the parents of the people I named to him in 1975. He has admitted this.

"I believe gardai must now interview the cardinal about withholding information not just from parents but from the gardai. I absolutely believe this should happen and must happen."

Mr Boland was 14 when he plucked up the courage to expose Smyth. He believed the abuse of the other children would stop. It didn't.

In May, gardai refused to comment on claims that Cardinal Brady may have committed a criminal offence by not informing them of Mr Boland's allegations in 1975.

Yesterday a spokesman said: "We will not be commenting on this programme."