Northern Ireland

HIA inquiry finds victims of child abuse 'should get up to £100,000 compensation'

Retired High Court judge Sir Anthony Hart (centre) at the conclusion of the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry in Northern Ireland with Geraldine Doherty (right, Who was formerly Head of the Central Councillor education and training Social work in Scotland) and David Lane CBE , (left, Who was formerly Director of Social services in Wakefield) 
Retired High Court judge Sir Anthony Hart (centre) at the conclusion of the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry in Northern Ireland with Geraldine Doherty (right, Who was formerly Head of the Central Councillor education and training Social work in Sco Retired High Court judge Sir Anthony Hart (centre) at the conclusion of the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry in Northern Ireland with Geraldine Doherty (right, Who was formerly Head of the Central Councillor education and training Social work in Scotland) and David Lane CBE , (left, Who was formerly Director of Social services in Wakefield) 

Victims of historic child abuse in Northern Ireland should receive state-backed compensation payments of up to £100,000, an inquiry has recommended.

Those abused in state, church and charity run homes should also be offered an official apology from government and the organisations that ran the residential facilities where it happened, the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry found.

Inquiry chair Sir Anthony Hart outlined a series of recommendations after he revealed shocking levels of sexual, physical and emotional abuse in the period 1922 to 1995.

He said the minimum pay-out should be £7,500 with the maximum amount given to those who had experienced severe levels of abuse as well as being transported to Australia in a controversial migrant scheme.

He said the organisations that ran the abusing homes should make a financial contribution to the Stormont Executive-run scheme.

Sir Anthony said the four-year inquiry found "evidence of systemic failings" in the institutions and homes it investigated.

"There was evidence of sexual, physical and emotional abuse, neglect and unacceptable practices across the institutions and homes examined," he said.

"The inquiry also identified failings where institutions sought to protect their reputations and individuals against whom allegations were made, by failing to take any action at all, failing to report matters to or deliberately misleading the appropriate authorities and moving those against whom allegations were made to other locations.

"This enabled some to continue perpetrating abuse against children.

"The inquiry found that those institutions that sent young children to Australia were wrong to do so and there were failures to ensure the children were being sent to suitable homes."

The report said:

  • The former head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, was part of an investigation which "effectively silenced" an alleged victim of serial sex attacker Smyth.
  • Smyth's crimes were ignored to protect the good name of the Church.
  • Institutions where systemic failings happened may be asked to contribute to the compensation payments.
  • A public apology should be issued to the victims.
  • No credible evidence was found to show that the security services were complicit in exploitation of sex abuse at Kincora boys' home in East Belfast or that prominent Establishment individuals were involved. Sir Anthony said: "We believe it is now time to finally lay these unfounded myths to rest."
  • A scheme for sending child migrants from institutions to Australia after the Second World War was "gravely defective" and lessons from previous similar operations were ignored. The homes relied on unrealistic assurances about the conditions in homes in Australia.
  • Some individuals provided excellent care and in the last three decades up to the 1990s there was an improvement in physical conditions.

Sir Anthony outlined a series of recommendations after he revealed shocking levels of sexual, physical and emotional abuse in a number of children's homes.

The retired judge is dealing with the 22 church, state and charity-run homes in sequence.

Brendan Smyth

The investigation also focused on the activities of paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

During evidence sessions the inquiry heard lurid details about the activities of the serial child molester who frequented Catholic residential homes and was convicted of more than 100 child abuse charges.

Sir Anthony said despite knowing his history of abusing children, the Norbertine religious order moved Smyth to different diocese where he abused more children.

They failed to report the abuse to police "enabling him to continue his abuse", it found. The Order also failed to take steps to expel him from priesthood, said the inquiry.

Sisters of Nazareth Order

At the start of his statement, he said 189 former residents came forward from four homes run by nuns in the Sisters of Nazareth Order to make allegations of maltreatment.

He said some nuns engaged in "physical and emotional abuse" of children, with the "denigration and humiliation" of residents widespread.

Turning to a home run by the Catholic De La Salle order, Sir Anthony said children were subject to "excessive physical punishment" and fell victim to "physical assaults".

Kincora, east Belfast

Long-standing allegations that a paedophile ring containing British establishment figures abused boys in the notorious Kincora boys' home in Belfast are not supported by credible evidence, the inquiry found.

Sir Anthony also dismissed claims that intelligence agencies were aware of such a ring and covered it up in order to blackmail the high-profile abusers.

Three staff members at Kincora were found guilty of abusing residents in the 1970s but there had long been rumours that others, including civil servants and businessmen, were involved.

Sir Anthony said the notion that Kincora was a homosexual "brothel" used by the Security Services as a "honey pot" to obtain compromising information about influential figures was without foundation.

He added: "There is no credible evidence to support any of these allegations."

Sir Anthony aldo said police investigations into Kincora in the mid-1970s were "inept, inadequate and far from thorough".

He said authorities and police in Belfast were guilty of a "catalogue of failures" and said if a proper investigation had been undertaken many victims might have been spared.

St Patrick's Training School, Belfast

He said "systemic" physical, emotional and sexual abuse took place at the De La Salle run St Patrick's Training School in Belfast.

He said children were often humiliated, such as being stripped of their clothes and forced to stand naked.

Rathgael Training School , Bangor

Sir Anthony said there was evidence of "corporal punishment" and staff sexually abusing girls at the Rathgael Training School in Bangor.

Good Shepherd Sisters

In regard to the Good Shepherd Sisters facilities in Belfast, Derry and Newry, the retired judge said there had been "unacceptable practices" of young girls being forced to do industrial work in the laundries.

Lissue House

In Lissue House, Lisburn, he said there was an unacceptable use of physical restraints, use of injections to sedate children, some children sexually abused and emotional abuse by "unfeeling" staff.

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The inquiry also found failings by the Diocese of Down and Connor, the County Welfare Authorities/Health and Social Services Board, the Ministry of Home Affairs/ Department of Health and Social Services and local and statutory authorities.

Evidence from hundreds of witnesses during 223 days of inquiry hearings outlined claims of brutality and sex abuse dating back to the 1920s in institutions run by churches, the State and Barnardo's charity.

Sir Anthony has already indicated that compensating victims will be among his recommendations.

The fate of Sir Anthony's compensation recommendation is mired in a degree of uncertainty, given the recent Stormont crisis has resulted in the collapse of the current powersharing executive.

The retired judge said the redress scheme needed to be set up as a "matter of urgency".

He also recommended that the Northern Ireland Executive should create a body called the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry Redress Board.

The board would receive and process claims and payments, said the chairman.

The inquiry also recommended that a "suitable physical memorial" should be erected in Parliament Buildings in Belfast or in the grounds of Stormont estate.

It also called for the creation of a Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse to offer victims support and assistance.

It recommended the provision of extra state funding to provide specialist care for victims.