Saturday, January 19, 2013
By Jimmy Woulfe, Mid-West Correspondent
An 82-year-old paedophile and former garda was jailed yesterday as a judge said prison would give him time to reflect on his awful sexual abuse of four boys 50 years ago, two of whom suffered from polio.
John Joseph (Jack) Dunne, when based at Pearse St Garda Station in Dublin, indecently assaulted the boys aged between nine and 14 between 1963 and 1969.
At the time he served as a Garda youth liaison officer and a scout leader, Limerick Circuit Court heard.
Dunne, who lives at Canon Breen Park, Thomondgate, Limerick, pleaded guilty to 14 counts last June. He was a garda from 1953 to 1976.
Much of the abuse was carried out in an upstairs dormitory in Pearse St Garda Station overlooking the grounds of Trinity College, where he lived.
The abuse was also carried out in the Phoenix Park, cinemas, scout camps and in his own car and involved touching private parts and mutual masturbation.
Dunne resigned from the Garda in 1972 under an indecent behaviour “cloud”.
He joined a religious order in 1976, but left and again abused a boy aged 12 in 1986.
Judge Carroll Moran said an aggravating factor was the enormous breach of trust by a garda who had ingratiated himself with parents of the victims.
Judge Moran said it was a particularly difficult case, given the age of the accused who had undergone sex therapy in the US to address his deviancy. He said the DPP was willing to have the matter dealt with summarily, which meant the DPP did not feel a lengthy prison sentence was necessary.
Accordingly he jailed Dunne for two years, and suspended the final 18 months.
Judge Moran said: “He has to serve a sentence of six months for the awful things he did.”
The court heard that two of Dunne’s victims were polio sufferers whom he recruited through his work with disabled scouts.
A native of Limerick, Dunne was a scout master from 1953 to 1976 and involved with a group for disabled children at a scout hall near Pearse St, then known as Westland Row.
The abuse first came to light following the publication of the Ryan report in 2009 when one of Dunne’s victim’s contacted gardaí.
In his victim impact statement one victim, now aged 58, who contracted polio as an infant, recalled how he met Dunne while on a train to Knock with the Polio Fellowship of Ireland.
He said the former garda was the scout leader with a group of disabled scouts from Dublin and invited the 10-year-old to join the troop when they got back to Dublin.
The victim, who has been in a wheelchair for four years, said he was first abused by Dunne during an overnight stay in the scout den, when Dunne put his hand down his pyjamas and touched his private parts.
The victim said: “Jack Dunne was in a position of trust, he was a scout leader, a garda, a person of power. He abused that power and hid behind his so-called good works. I now see him as a bad person who used that trust and his position to gain access to young boys.”
Another victim, now aged 56, told the court he met Dunne through his hospitalisation for polio.
In his victim impact statement he claimed Dunne had visited a particular ward at a children’s hospital in Dublin “especially to recruit new victims”.
He said he was abused by Dunne in his car near his home in Dublin, and also in Pearse St Garda Station and at the annual scout camp: “He [Dunne] had free access everywhere he went no body questioned his word… he was seen as the good garda looking after the poor little handicapped kids.”
The court heard Dunne met his two other victims, two brothers from Dublin, at a swimming gala organised by the scouts.
Dunne brought one of the boys to play snooker in Pearse St Station and cooked him a fry, then put his hand down his pants and fondled his penis.
Defence counsel Mark Nicholas said his client’s behaviour was “disgraceful and unforgivable” but said Dunne, who joined a religious order after he left the gardaí, had sought help for his problems in the US 20 years ago.
Outside the court, Annette Strachan of Rape Crisis Mid-West who sat with some of the victims in court said: “We are pleased it is over and feel justice in a sense has been done. Just because that man was in advanced age does not mean he can get away with something he had done in the past.”
Portia wrote:-
” ,,, there is no cure for predator psychopaths- but there a lot of professionals making money for such therapy, pretending there is a cure. Any decent professional will tell you truth.”
I agree, Portia, there is no cure for “predator psychopaths” (male or female). I also agree with the rest of your post.
The Irish, per se, have a LOT of growing up to do. Just look at the current state of our political system – its beyond daft!
The crime is also that this man ONLY got such a lenient sentence, and will be out in 6 months. He should not be allowed out, except to attend his own funeral.
It is AS BIG A CRIME, that this man ONLY got such a lenient sentence, and will be out in 6 months. He should only be allowed temporary release in order to attend his own funeral.
I don’t care what age this guy is, six months is not enough. Didn’t he leave the guards in 1972 under an indecent behaviour “cloud”….so why was he allowed into the priesthood?
Yes his behaviour was disgraceful and unforgivable. This man should have been sentence to have his manly bits cut of he is a sick disgusting creep. Kids with polio were treated like outcasts and so was anybody with a disability. All of Ireland is guilty they stereotype people if you were black they would walk on the other side of the street the same with the women who where sexually active they were whores tramps and there families suffered shame on Ireland.
They were let do what they liked as long as they were loyal Roman Catholics.
It’s how to get this issue raised, though, Paddy. Would you go to Avaaz and get them to put a petition in place to raise this to public attention? Do you think that would work? If so, what would be useful for us (your supporters) to do? Let us know. With you on this one. Only one way to heal this sickness and that is to bring it out into the open where it can get some air.
abuse went on in many institutions and the state (political party of the day including the opposition) did not care
Of course there should be a lot said about this.20 years ago he got help for himself .That doesnt help his victims at all. Every time thay went to confession it could be said that he was getting help. This seems to work for these men but anybody can claim that for anything at all. Abusing children in such a situation is really so nasty its hard to believe. six months in prison against the ruined lives is irresponsable on the part of the judge. no wonder thay continue.
“Defence counsel Mark Nicholas said his client’s behaviour was “disgraceful and unforgivable” but said Dunne, who joined a religious order after he left the gardaí, had sought help for his problems in the US 20 years ago.”
SO WHAT??
Worse again- he joined a religious order to have easy access to his prey and pretend to get therapy- but there is no cure for predator psychopaths- but there a lot of professionals making money for such therapy, pretending there is a cure.
Any decent professional will tell you truth.
“An 82-year-old paedophile and former garda was jailed yesterday as a judge said prison would give him time to reflect on his awful sexual abuse of four boys 50 years ago, two of whom suffered from polio.”
The judge ought to know better- a psychopathic predator has no conscience and feels no guilt and in fact believes to his/her dying day that s/he had a right to abuse and steal the energy of innocent children. Was Dr Corry the only one to understand how this worked and still works.?
The issue of the abuse of children with disabilities has long been overdue for discussion. I’ve no doubt that there are many people who visit this website, who were in hospital and abused while there.
It’s time this issue was addressed and spoken about.
While the subject of the abuse of children in hospitals is mentioned in The Ryan Report, there is nothing specific there.
I believe their should be.