Northern Ireland

High court judge appointed to lead institutional abuse compensation board

Mr Justice Adrian Colton has been appointed as head of a redress board for victims and survivors of institutional abuse. Picture by Arthur Allison, Pacemaker Press
Mr Justice Adrian Colton has been appointed as head of a redress board for victims and survivors of institutional abuse. Picture by Arthur Allison, Pacemaker Press Mr Justice Adrian Colton has been appointed as head of a redress board for victims and survivors of institutional abuse. Picture by Arthur Allison, Pacemaker Press

A High Court judge will lead the board responsible for deciding on compensation claims for victims of historical institutional abuse.

Mr Justice Adrian Colton was announced as president of the Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board yesterday.

The board will be responsible for processing compensation claims and ordering payments to victims and survivors.

It will be set up after a long-awaited bill was passed by Westminster last week.

It is almost three years since the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry exposed serious sexual, physical and emotional abuse over decades at children's homes run by religious orders, charities and the state across Northern Ireland.

The inquiry was headed by Sir Anthony Hart, who died earlier this year before the compensation bill could be passed.

Mr Justice Colton, who was called to the bar in 1993, was appointed as presiding coroner for Troubles legacy inquests in 2016.

"I am honoured to be asked by the Lord Chief Justice to be the President of the Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board to implement recommendations made by my esteemed friend and colleague Sir Anthony Hart," he said.

"I have been advised by the head of the civil service, David Sterling, that the Executive Office is committed to taking the necessary steps including the appointment of the non-judicial members of the board and the establishment of administrative arrangements for the compensation scheme so that I may start this very important work.

"The many victims of historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland deserve redress and I will do everything I can to ensure they receive compensation as quickly as possible."

Mr Sterling welcomed Mr Justice Colton's appointment.

"This is an important step forward in the implementation of the recommendations of the Historical Abuse Inquiry," he said.

"Earlier this week I gave my commitment to victims and survivors that we would be working closely with our partners to enable delivery and I would like to thank Sir Declan Morgan and Mr Justice Colton for their swift provision of support."

Margaret McGuckin of Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse (Savia) said the appointment gave hope to survivors.

"We're delighted to have someone that we fully respect and who is highly esteemed," she said.

Ms McGuckin again called for interim payments to be given to elderly or ill victims before Christmas.

She said dozens of abuse victims have died without receiving payments, including a woman in her early sixties who died on Thursday.

The woman's two sisters, who were also abuse victims, have also died.

"People have shorter life spans because of what has happened to them," she said.

The appointment was also welcomed by Patrick Corrigan from Amnesty International and interim victims' advocate Brendan McAllister.

Solicitor Claire McKeegan, who represents the majority of abuse victims, said the news was a "great comfort" to survivors.

"This is a significant development for the survivors who have campaigned for many years to obtain the redress that they so greatly need and deserve," she said.