'Many, many more' have not spoken out

Rodney Edwards • Published 22 Jul 2010 16:00

THE mood was emotional and sombre but the message was clear -- protect our children from evil paedophiles.

An emotionally charged public meeting to discuss years of sexual abuse by the McDermott brothers in Donagh was held on Monday night.

Over 200 people filled the village's Millennium Hall, including several of their victims, members of the local community and public representatives.

In the tense three-hour meeting, the people of Donagh expressed their fears and their anger for the first time. They were loud, hard-hitting and didn't hold back.

It was the community's chance to speak openly and directly to the public representatives about their village's most "appalling secret" -- how for 30 years children suffered "horrific" sexual abuse at the hands of the McDermott brothers.

One brother, 60-year-old John McDermott was jailed for nine years for the rape of a schoolboy and the abuse of other children.

Another brother Peter Paul, hanged himself in Donagh in May, the day after he went on trial accused of indecently assaulting two boys.

The two remaining brothers James (61) and Owen Roe (52) were found by a jury to have sexually abused children but have returned to live in Donagh because a Judge deemed the pair unfit to stand trial by reason of their mental disability.

They were each given a Supervision Treatment Order, banning them from some areas around Donagh and stopping them from being around children under 16.

But not only have they been allowed to return to their bungalow which lies just metres away from a children's playground, it's also emerged they have been placed in the lowest risk category of sex offenders.

Monday's meeting was attended by Elaine Way, Chief Executive of the Western Health and Social Care Trust, her Deputy Joe Lusby, Trevor Millar, Director of Mental Health and Disability Services, John Doherty, Director of Women and Children Services and Chief Inspector Graham Dodds and PSNI colleague Lauri Nicholson.

The Trust's Elaine Way said it was her department's "responsibility" to provide mental health services, child protection services and advice and support to people: "We also have the responsibility of providing the treatment for people who have committed sexual offences," she added.

Director of Mental Health and Disability Services at The Trust, Trevor Millar explained that whenever a person has been put into a judicial system and does not have the mental capacity to plead, the mental health order comes into effect.

Mr. Millar said: "Under the mental health order there are four avenues to which a judge can take in relation to supporting that individual. The first one is a hospital order, the second one is a guardianship, the third one is a supervision treatment order and the fourth one is discharge where they believe that individual does not fit under the umbrella of the previous three. So these individuals are placed under the supervision of a key worker and it's up to that worker to keep re-evaluating their treatment," he said.

Lauri Nicholson, PSNI, added: "Anyone who witnesses what they believe to be a breach of the order would need to make themselves known, tell the police and go to court. Those orders are valid until 2015 and can be revisited. We will be advising the brothers what they should and shouldn't be doing. We will be assessing their behaviour and re-evaluating them," he said.

One of the audience members questioned the Supervision Treatment Order: "Those men walk through this village and they've walked through this village for forty years saying hello and carrying on with the neighbours. . . Ask the people in this room. I would say there are people in this room who can't answer. I would say there are people in that graveyard that can't answer. We know that. We could tell you at least two people who can't. It's up to you people up there to sort this out because once the dust settles they'll do it again. We know they will do it again because that's what a paedophile does. The only difference is the people in this village are totally aware now and we won't let it happen again," she said.

The Trust's Elaine Way said she felt "very strongly" that the statutory agencies "must work together", saying: "We must do all that we can do protect the children in this community. That has to be our absolute number one priority. What we want to do with this community is to sit alongside them and say, how can we make it safer? I absolutely understand the concerns and anger coming from the community. I want to try and make sure that we do all that we can to ease this for you. I believe there are many, many, many more people in this community who have not said anything in relation to this. I hope people will feel able to come forward to get the help they need.

"In terms of the legislation and how mental illness, mental disorder and mental handicap is defined, that's not going to be changed over night. The reality that we must accept today is that there are sexual predators out there. There are paedophiles who have not been convicted out there. I would also like to put on record that the Health and Social Care has no legal authority. It cannot, other than break the law, physically move somebody who has been convicted of the offence. If the feeling of this room is why doesn't the Trust go up there and take these gentlemen somewhere else, then I cannot do that without breaking the law of the land and that's very simple," she said.

PSNI Chief Inspector Graham Dodds said: "As a father of two I can only imagine the pain that this community has gone through and as a father I know how distraught and how angry I would be if it happened to me. My heart goes out to you all.

But as a police service we have to work within the law that's there. We will work with that as far as we can to help the community. We will do that by making sure every check is done. There is already an increased police patrol around Donagh and we will also be carrying out very detailed visits. We will operate right to the bounds of the law as far as we can to deal with these individuals and make sure this community is safe. Anything the community wants us to do to feel safer, and that we can legally do, we will. If the law said tomorrow morning that I had the power to go and remove them then I can assure you that that's what I would do," he said.

Inspector Dodds added: "If people have any concerns and they see these people acting in a suspicious manner then we want to know. We need to know everything and we will act accordingly. Every piece of evidence is vital and I can't stress that enough. If people come forward then we will do all that we can because we want to make this community as safe as possible," he said.

Mr. Nicholson added: "We are quite prepared somewhere down the line to stand in court and have the McDermott's defence accuse us of breaching their human rights, if we've protected a child then we will stand in court and fight it," he said.

Then, a question from a concerned mother: "As a parent, I am going to feel uncomfortable going to that play park. What are you going to do about it?"

"We have told them things that they shouldn't do. One of those things is not to be outside their house if there are children around, not to go walking through the village if there are children around, simple things like that. If you see them doing that, if you see them doing anything that you're not happy about then speak to us about it. Whilst they're not breaking the law by being outside their own house if I get enough of a pattern I can go back to the court and ask for us to look at the sexual prevention order again," said Mr. Nicholson.

He added: "Can I also make something quite clear? As a risk manager this is the worst place for these people to be housed. We did tell the court that they must not live anywhere that's not allowed by us but their defence jumped up and quite rightly said the police aren't going to approve their home and so they're going to make them homeless. There's no reason why we can't ask for that to be looked at again with more information from you," he said.

Sinn Fein MLA Michelle Gildernew, who was joined by her council colleagues, said she knew of "no other situation" like Donagh. The Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP has held meetings with survivors and her ministerial colleagues in Stormont about this issue.

She said: "This is a community where people leave their keys in the door. This has rocked the community to its very core. It's something that has been very hard for us to deal with. The best case scenario is for the brothers to move but if that doesn't work and they won't move then the next best thing is for those amenities to be moved to somewhere else. If we can't move the problem then move where the children are," she said.

One man responded: "We don't need to move the playground. Why should we? It's been there for many years. We need to build a 10-foot wall. There is absolutely no reason why we can't do that. If it's going to give the children privacy then it's better than nothing. Let's get a wall built around that playground so they can't see our children."

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey, who is "acutely aware" of the issues is to review the law following the McDermott case.

Agitated by what she had heard, one woman put it to the police: "On a scale of one to ten, how dangerous are the McDermott brothers?"

Mr. Nicholson replied: "We don't categorise it in that way, it's usually looked at between one and three. With one being the lowest and three being the highest."

"Well, what is it then between one and three?" she asked.

"Right now, it's one. They are categorised as low-risk offenders," said Mr. Nicholson.

And just like the last 30 years, the silence in Donagh was deafening.

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This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 22 Jul 10

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