Police said the calls from 350 people saying they had suffered abuse came in just six days, from 24 to 30 November, and related to all aspects of football, from grassroots up to professional.
The number continues to grow, police said, and victims may have to wait because of the “significant” volume of reported child sex abuse crimes in football that have been reported since the Guardian’s revelations.
In a statement the national police chiefs’ council lead for child protection, chief constable Simon Bailey, said:
“It is important to note that this is an indicative figure only, and that information is still being collated, numbers will, therefore, continue to change.”
Police and experts believe the sexual abuse of children is massively underreported in Britain.
The former Newcastle United striker David Eatock became the latest footballer to tell police he was sexually abused in the sport. He told the Guardian that he was sexually abused during his time at the club by George Ormond, a former club youth coach.
Police say 350 people have come forward to report child sex abuse in football (The Guardian)
Football child sex abuse: Ex-Newcastle player David Eatock latest to speak out (BBC)
Pic Yahoo
Wonder if there could be any link between sexual abuse in sport and GAA connected murder-suicides?
Doubt Ireland any different from Britain in terms of abuse in organised sport.
Have there been any GAA grooming cases?
What GAA murder suicides?
There’s a well known sports journo who was involved in an underage camogie club and the rest is never spoken about.
where’s the murder?
I didn’t think my comment would last if I got any more specific. Here’s a link to the story but the journo in question (and the story) dropped off the face of the earth.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/sports-journalist-arrested-on-child-sex-abuse-allegations-28818614.html
postponed due to ill health supposedly…whatever that means
normal to get a bye from prosecution cos you’re sick?
It was reported as psychiatric problems but medical experts gave the gardaí the go ahead to arrest him. 4 years later nothing.
Found an RTÉ report from 2014 which says he was due in court in April of that year.
“He faces seven charges of engaging in a sexual act with an underage child on dates in 2011. The man also faces three charges of sexual assault against the same person on dates in 2007 at a number of locations, including a hotel car park in Dublin, and Donegal.He faces 40 charges relating to child exploitation, including inducing or coercing a child to engage in the production of child pornography and inducing or coercing her to engage in a sexual, indecent or obscene act. These offences are alleged to have occurred between 2008 and 2011.”
http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0225/506548-court-sexual-assault-charge/
I just reread that and I get your “Where’s the murder?” post now.
My post was aimed at answering Salmon’s “Have there been any GAA grooming cases?” question.
I think you’ll find that case was very widely spoken about at the time and is still spoken about.
Just because the journalist can’t be officially named because of you know, laws doesn’t mean everyone doesn’t know who he is and what he did.
Bull. The Irish Times ignored the story completely and until Mick McCaffrey named him in the Sunday World nobody in the media would even though, as you mentioned, everyone knew who it was. Then the story just vanished.
Rotide, you haven’t even read Bertie’s response properly.
The words ‘the rest is never spoken about’ refers to the other instances of paedophilia by different persons within the GAA.
You don’t read the comments you criticise.
You just have stock troll responses. The fact that they are more pompous than the average troll response makes them more pathetic not less!
What are you doing on this site?
Hear hear.
I’m intrigued – why did you focus on GAA, rather than soccer or rugby?
The Alan Hawe story and Broadsheet murder-suicide post got me thinking about the GAA connection, when I dug deeper I found one or two more similar homicides (not children-killing but spouse/parent killing by former youth GAA stars)
I did a search for soccer and rugby but there seems to be less references to them in the cases for sexual convictions and homicide either re. victim or accused (I appreciate that this may be due to newspaper reporting).
https://www.broadsheet.ie/2016/09/12/the-war-at-home/
Alan Hawe and about half of these were former youth team GAA players or came from families with extensive GAA involvement.
So you’re just going to throw around insinuations about specific people without evidence because you feel like it? And without consideration of the victims’ families?
Jesus christ that’s tenous even by broadsheets wildly reckless standards.
Get a grip.
No, you stop. In fact, stop commenting on the site generally. You’re really tedious to read, you make no useful contribution except (with your pals!) sniping at other people. Go back to your crappy school debating chums. Oh sorry, you hang out together on this site? Well maybe find another site to hang out together on – you don’t seem to like this one very much, maybe go to another one – less read of course, which might be a disincentive – where you’re happier.
Anyone with any nous who looks at the above would have to wonder about what was going on with those former youth players in the GAA, and what was happening to childreninvolved in GAA activities. They would also have to wonder about how child abusers (and i am sure well known to be such in the locality, a number were teachers who were abusing kids in the schools in which they taught) managed to climb so high in the GAA.
You get a grip and start living in reality rather than in your ‘don’t ask questions’ dreamworld. That Hillary Clinton invitation to the White House ain’t going to happen any time soon.
So you’re just wondering allowed? You don’t have anything remotely in the way of evidence?
Well done on playing the man rather than the ball when questioned about your rantings.
I have to ask, Are you bodgers ‘civilian’ account Salmon?
No, I am not.
Repeatedly intrigued by your obsession with Bodger though.
Are you the editor of another publication, like your username implies? If not, why choose that username?
Joe Small, the phrase ‘playing the man rather than the ball’ says just as much about you as Rotide’s silly pseudo-logical Gonzaga-head debating phrases say about him.
I’ve set out facts above regarding convictions for sexual abuse by GAA coaches and people involved with the GAA at a high level.
I’ve also set out facts regarding homicides by former GAA stars – a disproportionately high amount relative to the population generally.
These – together with the growing information regarding the prevalence of paedophilia in sport generally – raise a question about what went on in youth training in the GAA in the past.
I’m entitled to raise these, and to wonder about them. If you don’t like my comments, don’t read them. I could say the same for you and the site generally. Like Rotide, I suspect your only motivation for commenting is to put people down. As a long-term reader and commenter I find this offensive as I think it’s being used to shut down debate about issues you and others want to keep quiet – as well as possibly settle personal scores.
Oops, one more thing Rotide… quite happy to disclose my identity any time, to prove I’m not Bodger, subject, of course, to you showing me yours.
How about it?
If I only could be as eloquent.
With the greatest possible respect, Bodger, I think your appearances in the comments section should only be in exceptional cases. The main reason Rotide etc. comment is to get a response from you in the comments, if you respond in any way the rest of us commenters will have to put up with them for longer, if you don’t respond they will go away for lack of attention. This is an important topic and discussion in the comments section should be encouraged not shut down by people trying to keep these subjects quiet/settle scores.
In most of these cases Kieran the victims killed their families, that’s the point. Why would people do this?
cos they’re men? cos of the gah? cos they’re Irish? cos they couldn’t talk about their emotions? cos they’re part of a small percentage of a group that go loo lah?
Have you looked at the Barry Bennell type cases re. the GAA in Ireland?
Or the cases (there are quite a few of them) in which former GAA junior stars have either been convicted of sexual offences or homicide?
Quite a lot of them, given that many people play GAA but not necessarily at junior star level.
I consider the primary victims in those cases you linked to to be the murdered spouses and children, not the killers.
Half the country has a GAA background. I don’t see why it’s a common thread at all in the cases, other than you decided out of the blue to link it to sexual abuse in the GAA.
OK Kieran.
There have been at least two Barry Bennell type situations within the GAA (coaches abusing players on junior teams). We know this because there have been convictions.
In July 2014 Ronan McCormack (72) a former coach at Eastern Harps GAA Club, Keash, Co Sligo was convicted of 53 charges of indecent assault on 5 former members of the under 12 team in the club between October 1981 and August 1986. Like Bennell, Mr McCormack cultivated his victims, taking them to see All Ireland finals and semi-finals in Croke Park, many assaults taking place at his home the night before matches.
In November 2012, James ‘Tony’ Maher former chairman, PR officer and coach at Banner GAA Club, Ennis pleaded guilty in November 2012 to 18 counts of sexual assault of two boys, including a player on his under 12 team, between 1982 and 1985.
Furthermore, there have been a number of other situations involving sexual abuse by persons involved in the GAA. Fair enough, there are probably paedophiles in every organisation involving children. But what’s worrying is that these cases involve people high up in the GAA organisation.
In November 2013, five men made statements to the gardai alleging that they had been raped between 2000 and 2009 within the grounds of a GAA club by at least two men who – although not coaches – had access to the premises. The men were boys at the time of the alleged offences. A Garda search subsequently found child pornography on a computer owned by one of the men accused.
In November, 2000 Michael Feeney (68) was convicted on 21 counts of assaulting male and female children between 1957 and 1978. Mr Feeney was former secretary of the GAA Ulster Council and known in ulster as “Mr GAA”.
In December, 2012 a Munster man aged in his 50s is was arrested after allegations by two women that he had sexually assaulted them as children in the 1990s.The man was described as a well known and highly respected figure in the GAA.
In July, 2014 an unnamed GAA figure pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two girls who were both aged 13 when the abuse started between 1991 and 1997. The man was described in court as prominent in sporting circles and was held in high regard.
Because the last two individuals were not named (to protect the privacy of their victims) it is not possible to say if they are still involved in the organisation. However Feeney appeared in the VIP box at a major GAA match after being charged and while awaiting trial.
Looking at the reports on sexual abuse in football in the UK, one has to wonder as to the extent of paedophilia within the GAA, particularly when there have been a worrying number of violent crimes (including homicide) committed by former young star GAA players These violent crimes include murder-suicide. Out of Broadsheet’s list of murder-suicides, a number are former GAA youth players at a high level and others are from GAA families.
Examples:
(i) Thomas Reilly (46) who drowned his children Megan (6) and Kelly (5) at his home in New Jersey in 2007. Mr Reilly came from Cavan and he and his father were heavily involved in the local GAA club Castlerahan, with which he retained ties.
(ii) Nollaig Kenneally-Owens (29), of Kilworth, Cork who also drowned herself and her eight-month-old son Tadhg in 2007. Nollaig was actively involved in GAA throughout her life and came from a well-known GAA family.
(iii) Diarmaid Flood, of Wexford, who shot his wife Lorraine in bed and smothered his two children Julie and Mark in 2008 before shooting himself. Diarmuid came from a well-known Wexford GAA hurling family.
(iv) John Butler (43), of Ballycotton, Co. Cork, originally from Cobh, Co Cork, who killed his daughters Zoe (7) and Ella (2) in 2010 before killing himself. Mr Butler was a former GAA star from a well-known GAA family.
(v) Former Tyrone underage GAA star Sean Hackett (18) who shot dead his father Aloysius Hackett, a former chairman of St Macartan’s GAC in Augher in 2013.
(vi) Marco Velocci (28) a former underage GAA star at Oola GAA Club, who crashed his car on the main Limerick to Tipperary Road, killing his son Alex, after injuring his former partner, Ms Jodie Power, in a domestic dispute.
(vii) Jim Quigley (69) who bludgeoned his wife Marie to death before killing himself by driving into the path of an oncoming truck. Jim and his brothers Johnny and Peter were all former football players at Killkerly Emmets GAA Club. Peter took his life in 2006.
(vii) Alan Hawe, former GAA star handball player, who killed his wife Clodagh and their three children Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) earlier this year.
So basically nearly half of the murder suicides in Ireland to date have had very strong GAA connections (not just involvement in the GAA, but involvement at a very high level, esp. as youth players).
A surprisingly high number of other former youth stars and those from families of former stars have been convicted of sexual offences.
Examples.
Christopher McCarthy (50) sentenced to 2 1/2 years for abusing his niece Tanya (15) at a GAA Gala event in Croke Park in the 1980s. The event was a ‘This is Your Life’ celebration in honour of Mr McCarthy’s brother, Cork hurling legend, Gerald McCarthy.
Lucas ‘Luke’ Hanahoe (28) was convicted of sexual assault on a woman in the United States. Mr Hanahoe is the son of GAA star Tony Hanahoe.
Brendan Hull (72) of Belfast, is charged with sexually assaulting three boys, all under 13. Mr Hull was a top gaelic footballer who represented Antrim on a number of occasions. June, 2011
George O’Grady, a former inter-county hurler, is convicted of harassing a female neighbour by sending explicit messages and newspaper cuttings to her. Mr O’Grade is described as a local football coach. December, 2013
Seamus Kilroy (57) is convicted of indecently assaulting a 10 year old boy in 1983. Mr Kilroy, a former inter-county hurling player for Roscommon, indecently assaulted the victim after taking him into his car on the pretext of showing him a training video of the under-age parish hurling team.
Sexual abuse in childhood increases the risk of suicide, mental illness and involvement in crime. This is documented in many studies. If a relatively high percentage of murder-suicides, sexual offenders and homicides are being committed by former GAA youth stars, in circumstances where officials high up within the organisation during their period of involvement with it have been proved to have been paedophiles, this does rather raise questions about the extent of paedophilia generally within the organisation in the 1980s and 90s, and the extent to which prior sexual abuse may have contributed to those offences.
Correlation != Causality
Just stop.
You first, Rotide! I’ll still be here when you’ve finished, not going away any time soon. If you want to spend your whole day whining at me, fine with me, a rather purposeless life for you I would think.
The 5 minutes I spend pointing out your logical fallacies is time far better spent than the time it took you to construct a wall of text to highlight your little conspiracy theory which to even the most casual observer has nothing to offer in the way of supporting evidence.
The suggestion that there may have been paedophilia in the GAA akin to that in UK football is hardly a conspiracy theory, in fact it was highlighted by the Examiner earlier this week, nothing particularly strange or startling about anything I suggest above.
Clearly if there is a high rate of homicide (particularly murder-suicide) among people involved heavily in a particular sport as children, that raises questions about their experiences within that sport.
There’s no conspiracy theory here, no wild allegations being made, just something being identified that ought to be explored further.
Why so defensive?
Editor/rotide cries conspiracy in the face of documented evidence, nothing new there
TLDR
They’ve invented a new scroll down facility on computers now, Joe….
Barry Bennel, George Gibney, Derry O Rourke all linked in Florida
Really object to your pompous tone, will do full reply later.
Tom Humphrey
Oops sorry that was meant for Kieran not you.
No worries
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/we-must-bite-the-bullet-on-abuse-1.136280
That’s a very good piece. One of the saddest things about abuse is how the victims were traditionally perceived as ‘wasters’ because they weren’t able to cope with life after the abuse. Reading the accounts of the abuse trials mentioned in my comment above, the stories of all the victims are tragically similar. Drink, drugs, inability to hold down jobs, panic attacks, fractured relationships. Desperately unfair.
Thanks for that DD.
“Sport, with its youth and its trips and its opportunity for building relationships between coaches and participants, is a fine feeding ground for those few sick minds who prey on kids.”
“No amount of extra trouble in screening coaches and enforcing guidelines and watching our kids is too much to avoid the grim spectacle of wrecked lives.”
The girl he abused was about 5 when he wrote all that.
Complete and total dissonance.
Also there wasn’t just one girl.
This report refers to a further allegation about the same person by a girl at a different GAA club.
http://www.herald.ie/news/journalist-faces-50-sex-charges-over-teen-girls-30036842.html
But in Rotide’s daddylegal world, that’s probably just a case of correlation not equalling causality.
Or whatever.
+1 Excellent work Salmon
Has his court case progressed? Has anyone heard anything about him since?