A GARDA examination of the findings of the Murphy Report on a
cover-up of clerical child sexual abuse will be completed shortly.
A team of 10 detectives, headed by Assistant Garda Commissioner John O'Mahony,
was set up in November 2009 to determine whether bishops, gardai and
state officials had criminal cases to answer arising from the findings
of the commission of inquiry headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy.
Their
examination is now nearing a conclusion and a report will be sent to
Commissioner Martin Callinan, who will decide if it should be forwarded
to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The garda inquiry has been focused on figures criticised in the report and whether issues of criminal liability arise.
Its
remit is to examine the findings of the Murphy Report in relation to
how complaints of clerical abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese were handled,
carry out investigations and inquiries as appropriate and present
recommendations to the commissioner.
The detectives encountered a
number of obstacles as they were unable to rely on evidence gathered by
Judge Murphy because the State gave a legal undertaking that the
testimony given would not be used in criminal prosecutions.
A number of people who could help with certain aspects of the inquiry are now dead or living abroad.
The
Murphy Report concluded that archbishops handled child sexual abuse
complaints badly, with none reporting knowledge of abuse between the
1960s and 1980s.
It found that some gardai considered the
investigation of clergy outside their remit and in some cases complaints
received by gardai were reported to the archdiocese rather than being
investigated.
Resignations
The month after
the report was published, four bishops tendered their resignations,
including Bishop of Limerick Donal Murray and Bishop of Kildare and
Leighlin James Moriarty.
Two auxiliary bishops, Raymond Field and
Eamonn Walsh, also offered their resignations but Pope Benedict later
decided not to accept them.
Meanwhile, the DPP is examining a number of other files that detail horrific abuse by members of religious orders.
Garda
inquiries, led by Assistant Commissioner Derek Byrne, resulted in the
emergence of fresh complaints of sexual and physical assaults by clerics
and these resulted in the creation of up to 20 files for the DPP.