Barnardo's "Paid ?182,000 in Claims Linked to Alleged Abuse at Macedon, Newtownabbey

By Kevin Sharkey
BBC News NI
December 7, 2015

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-35028513

Barnardo's children's charity has paid more than ?180,000 in civil claims linked to alleged abuse at a former home in County Antrim, an inquiry has heard.

On Monday, the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry opened public hearings.

Two former Barnardo's homes, Macedon and Sharonmore, both in Newtownabbey, are under scrutiny.

The inquiry's counsel said the hearings would expose "abusive activities and practices" not previously known about.

In 2005, two former staff members at Macedon were convicted of sexual and physical abuse, but those convictions were subsequently quashed by the Court of Appeal, the inquiry sitting in Banbridge, County Armagh, was told.

He said the charity paid ?182,000 in total to 10 individuals. The amount included ?20,000 paid to someone who later admitted that "those who made allegations had got together to make false allegations".

In a statement to the inquiry, Barnardo's said: "We accept and recognise that for a particular period of time in Macedon, there were systems failures that failed to protect children."

However, the charity said it did not accept that the evidence available in respect of Sharonmore "showed systemic failings on the part of Barnardo's".

The allegations of sexual and physical abuse at Macedon cover a period from 1977 to 1981.

The HIA inquiry was set up in 2013 to investigate child abuse in residential institutions in Northern Ireland over a 73-year period, up to 1995.