Murphy Report: Can a failure to protect be prosecuted?
In a legal assessment published on the blog of the Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University College Cork, Ireland, the writers argue that "It would seem unlikely that prosecutions in relation to institutional failures from that same time period would have a realistic prospect of success."
The authors look at the various laws in the Republic, during the period under examination in the report, and ask whether prosecutions could be brought against any church or civil officials for failing to protect children or placing children at risk.
Read their .
Comment number 1.
At 16th Dec 2009, Parrhasios wrote:It would appear that cover-up was systemic. Was it, however, organised? It is difficult to see how something systemic in so hierarchical a structure as the Roman church was not approved and organised. If it was organised was it a conspiracy? Did the actions of Church and State effectively pervert the course of justice? Was there then a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice?
It hardly matters because the state has no appetite whatever to pursue this line of enquiry. Whatever the survivors and victims of the abuse might anticipate I wouldn't encourage them to expect justice.
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