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Tuesday, 27 July 2010

Parents' united bid to remove paedophiles

Parents have been living in a "complete nightmare" since discovering their children are being treated at the same Londonderry health facility as two serial paedophile brothers.

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Families of patients at Lakeview in the Gransha psychiatric hospital complex are now uniting in a bid to see James and Owen Roe McDermott removed.

"I'm very determined and so are all the families," Margaret Pollock, whose daughter Michelle is a Lakeview patient, told UTV.

"I will do anything in my power to have them moved out - there's going to be no compromises."

The McDermott brothers have been at the centre of controversy for a number of weeks, after they were declared mentally unfit to stand trial over a wake of child sex abuse in their home village of Donagh in Co Tyrone.

The pair - and two other brothers - were behind a catalogue of offences against children there over a 30-year period. But there was shock when James and Owen Roe McDermott returned home.

Following appeals from the Western Health Trust for the brothers to admit themselves for treatment, they voluntarily moved to Lakeview.

Mrs Pollock's daughter Michelle is said to be very vulnerable with autistic tendancies.

Her mother was appalled to find her in the same sitting room as one of the McDermotts during visiting hours on Sunday.

"My daughter has not committed any offences in the eyes of the law and these men have committed offences," she said.

"That is not the place for them and we would like them moved out."

When asked how she felt the patients' families had been treated by the Western Health Trust, Mrs Pollock told UTV: "We haven't been treated at all.

"We should have been consulted before there was any placement of the men in Lakeview, but communications have broken down - and with bad communications, you get bad relations."

Teresa McGuinness, whose son Colm is also a Lakeview patient, said the situation had had a devastating effect on her family. But she added that shock had turned to anger.

"We're expecting a meeting (with the Trust) on Friday - they'll already have been on the ward eight days," she told UTV.

Mrs McGuinness also described the moment she encountered one of the McDermott brothers.

"One of them winked at me and laughed and spoke," she said.

"It sent a chill down my spine.

"It's very disturbing to have to be in close contact - even the families shouldn't have to go through that."

The families are set to meet with the Western Health Trust on Friday, when it is understood senior management will outline what safeguards have been taken.

However, the families insist they will not rest until the McDermott brothers have been removed from Lakeview.

"They should never have been there in the first place - but after all, they need care and they have human rights the same as my son or any other patient," said Mrs McGuinness.

"They need care, they need looked after. But in the right environment."

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21 Comments

At 18:36 on 30 July 2010, Lisa wrote:

Can the authorities not learn that these people need to be locked up? They think that bringing them to court, giving them a slap on the wrist, getting them to sign a piece or paper and sending them home is going to sort things out?!!! Yes they might have signed themselves in but how many bloody years did it take for them to realise that they are sick sick men!! For respect of other people I will not write what exactly I think of this case being handled the way it is. It is a disgrace that in this day and age this can go on. Do the authorities do this to completely wind us up!! So they can be watched doing it all over again. As a person that was abused myself, how can my abuser be let live walking distance from me and overlooking a childs play park?? Answer that one. Complete and utter respect for the families of people in Lakeview. You have our complete support from fermanagh

At 13:59 on 28 July 2010, Monica wrote:

I would support what has been said here by John Murphy, I will never again vote SDLP after seeing Mark Durkan fuel the fire that has been lit under these sad creatures - yes they have committed heinious crimes - but they are not the only ones - I could name a dozen women and children who were raped in this city by men connected to the IRA - I dont hear anyone calling for them to be removed from this City.

At 13:05 on 28 July 2010, john murphy wrote:

Jane "Victims who have committed no crime" it is my honest belief that if I create a situation where people - such as those who committ sexual crime - are forced to go under-ground - where they cannot be monitored by the authorities - then I have committed a crime - I would be no better than the perpetrators of such crimes - in the Republic those sex offenders who have been convicted - can give no-fixed-abode as their legal address - many have done this and went on to reoffend as they could not be monitored - I think the politicians who introduced this loop-hole legislation have a responsibility in such matters - we need a society that ensures community safety and child protection by way of sound policy and procedure - not witch hunts and bogus moral panics - that simply feed the goulish appitite of and the dark recesses of denial in our society......

At 12:40 on 28 July 2010, John Murphy wrote:

Jane - low IQ is a mater for the Courts - I am suggesting that these men are mentally ill because of the crimes they committed - surely nobody would suggest that a right thinking person could committ such crimes - they need help - they have sought help - and now they are being subject to a witch hunt by mealy mouthed politicians and others who are speaking out both sides of their mouths - if people are serious about child protection then lets see Cardinals and Politicians who facilitated and concealed the Rape of children - equally hung from the Gallows - a crime is a crime is a crime.....lets not pick on the weak and feable minded......I was also abused as a child.....but I am not selective in my demand for accountability.......

At 11:29 on 28 July 2010, Jane wrote:

PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT THEIR UNFITNESS TO PLEAD WAS DOWN TO THEIR LOW IQ. THEY HAVE A LEARNING DISABILITY!. THAT IS ALL. THEY KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG AND KNEW ALL THROUGH THE YEARS WHAT THEY WERE DOING TO YOUNG KIDS. WE ARE NOT GANGING UP ON PEOPLE WHO ARE MENTALLY ILL - THEY ARE NOT MENTALLY ILL, KNOW THE FACTS. THEY WEREN'T MENTALLY ILL WHEN THEY WERE ABUSING ME OR ANY OF THE OTHERS. THE ISSUE HERE IS NOT ABOUT THE CHURCH - ALTHOUGH I AGREE WITH YOU THERE ALSO. IT'S ABOUT THESE ABUSERS BEING TREATED IN THE SAME VICINITY AS OTHER VULERABLE ADULTS. I DO NOT ARGUE THAT THEY DON'T NEED TREATMENT BUT THAT TREATMENT SHOULD BE IN A SECURE ENVIRONMENT! I THINK THE WESTERN TRUST HAVE GOT IT SO WRONG WITH THESE ABUSERS FROM DAY ONE. IT'S ALMOST AS IF THE CARE OF THE PERPETRATORS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CARE OF VICTIMS AND OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY THAT HAVE COMMITTED NO CRIME!

At 09:28 on 28 July 2010, John Murphy wrote:

It is very interesting that people find it so easy to gang up on people who are clearly mentally ill - yet the same people have not got the bottle to take on the Church leaders and Politicians who facilitated and concealed the Rape of children - not so very long ago a vulnerable man (JPB) was forced from his home in Dundalk by a group of 'republican' vigilantes - he was accused of sexual assault - you would not believe the name of the person who lead the gang to remove this vulnerable lad from his home - Yes - his first name is Liam.....this is 100%.....hypocrites are not in short supply in this country....thanks to UTV's Insight - some of those hypocrites have been exposed....

At 09:15 on 28 July 2010, John Murphy wrote:

Both in Fermanagh and Derry there are presently several persons living in the community who were identified in the Murphy, Ryan and Ferns Reports as child rapists - why is there so much silence when the child Rapist happens to be a Minister of the Catholic Church.....hypocrites