The Presbyterian Church in Ireland did not keep records of a child sex abuse case in Co Donegal that was reported to ministers years before the church’s current crisis, a safeguarding expert has told the BBC.
Ian Elliott said when he tried to find out if the alleged victims from the Donegal parish had received counselling, no records could be found at PCI headquarters.
The BBC has also seen a document indicating the Church had not reported the case to An Garda Síochána when it was first raised.
The Presbyterian Church said it could not comment due to a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) investigation, but has “openly admitted failures” in its safeguarding procedures.
Mr Elliott, an internationally recognised expert in safeguarding, told BBC Spotlight Northern Ireland that he was asked by the Church’s headquarters to assist with the case in 2015.
At the time a minister told him that an adult member of a congregation in Donegal, who had since died, had abused several children decades earlier, but no action had been taken.