Women call for redress over abuse in Co Cork school

Michael Bolton

The Taoiseach says the Government will engage with a group of women who were abused as children in the 1960's and 70's at a Cork school

The women, who were abused by Leo Hickey, who was school principal at Dunderrow National School, say the State has failed to pay them redress for the abuse they suffered.

The survivors attended the same school as Louise O'Keeffe, who won a landmark ruling against the State at the European Court of Human Rights 12 years ago.

In 1998 Hickey was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment having pleaded guilty to 21 sample counts from 387 charges of sexually abusing 21 young girls – including Sarah – between 1964 and 1973.

In 2017 Hickey was jailed again for sexually abusing a nine-year-old boy in a different school in the 1990s.

Micheál Martin says Leo Hickey committed horrific sexual abuse and the Government is willing to sit down and meet with the women.

"Their legal representatives have written in for mediation, and in my view, we should respond positively to that and we should engage with the victims here and their representatives and that is what we will do."