Smyth ‘may Have Abused Hundreds of Children’

By Chris Chambers
UTV
June 22, 2015

http://utv.ie/News/2015/06/22/Smyth-may-have-abused-hundreds-of-children-39561

Fr Brendan Smyth, died in prison in 1997 one month into a 12 year sentence. ©Pacemaker

The comment was said to have been made by Smyth to a doctor in 1994, the year he was jailed for his crimes.

Joseph Aiken, counsel to the Historical Abuse Inquiry (HIA), said the priest admitted: “Over the years of religious life it could be that I have sexually abused 50 to 100 children – that number could even be doubled or perhaps even more.”

The latest module of long-running inquiry began on Monday and is focusing on how Smyth, who was eventually convicted of more than 100 child abuse charges over a 40-year period, got away with his crimes for so long.

It is looking at whether any steps taken or not taken to deal with him amount to systemic failings, and is expected to last a week.

Smyth was at the centre of one of the first clerical child sex abuse scandals to rock the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Allegations surrounding the priest were investigated as far back as 1975, however it was almost 25 years before he was jailed.

He died in prison in 1997 following a heart attack.


A range of witnesses are expected to give evidence at the HIA over the coming days, including former Irish primate Cardinal Sean Brady – who as a priest in 1975 assisted the Bishop of Kilmore in securing evidence about Smyth.

In one of three statements he said at the time there was a culture of secrecy and silence in the church for which is truly sorry.

The inquiry, which is sitting in Banbridge, was set up by the Executive in 2013 and is one of the UK's largest inquiries into physical, sexual and emotional harm to children at homes run by the church, state and voluntary organisations.