RUC advised against pursing child sex abuse case, alleged victim claims

The alleged victim of child sex abuse by a prominent Northern Ireland businessman in the 1980s has claimed that Royal Ulster Constabulary officers advised him not to pursue his case after he had made formal complaint.

He claims police told him when he was just 13 at the time of the alleged offence that they would keep the alleged abuser’s name on file in case it was claimed that he offended again.

But Fermanagh-based newspaper the Impartial Reporter has revealed claims that this man, who is still alive, did abuse again after a second alleged victim came forward to make allegations. The man has not been charged or convicted of any of these alleged offences.

In separate interviews with the newspaper, Andrew and William (not their real names) claimed that they were abused at a business premises owned by the man, or in a company vehicle.

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“He was behind me, the next thing he approached me from behind and had his hands around my waist. He had his arms wrapped around me and was kissing the back of my neck. He said: ‘This is okay because I love you.’

“Within seconds his trousers were down. In some sick way he was trying to justify what he was doing by telling me he loved me. He had an erection. His hands were all over the place, he touched my private parts, he exposed himself. He touched all over me and was attempting to take my trousers down,” recalled Andrew.

He believes the sexual abuse would have gone further had a customer not arrived. The customer kept pressing a buzzer because the door had been locked “and it was never locked”. The incident was reported to police.

Some time later the alleged abuser visited his home to apologise: “A church minister was there too. Then this man arrived. I remember the church minister [he supplied his name] tearing shreds off him. I was in the kitchen, I was aware he was there,” Andrew told the newspaper.

Andrew’s parents were told by police that his statement would always be on record so that if this ever happened again “it would be evidence”.

Second alleged victim

But it is claimed that abuse did happen again a few years later after another man, William (not his real name) made claims of abuse about the same man.

The second man, William, says he was abused in the man’s car after he refused to stop and let him out. “In the car he was quite chatty,” he recalled. “He seemed to be scratching the top of his leg, or at least so I thought. It became obvious that he was pleasuring himself.

“I said I wanted to go to [a local town]. He got quite aggressive and started to say that he was in a hurry and could not bring me [there] He still pleasured himself, he appeared to be lost in some kind of lust or was turned on.

“He had slipped his penis out of the side of the shorts. I actually froze at that point.

“He reached over and began to touch me and rub my penis through my trousers. He kept telling me that I was beautiful and that I should take it out, I would be happy if I did. Then he asked me for a kiss. I tried to ignore him. He then told me I was beautiful again and that he would love to go to bed with me and just hug and cuddle.

“He kept telling me that he could look after me if I looked after him and he offered me a job. He said that I could be his special friend and that the pay would be good, that I could drive one of his vehicles at his business.” He then sexually abused him.

“He pulled my hand on to his lap and on top of his penis. I tried to move my hand away but he put his hand on mine and made me rub him. I tried to stop, he got mad and told me that I should have manners. He said that I could not expect a lift with nothing in return.”

When William protested, his abuser stopped the car and told him to get out.

“The police need to re-examine this, it should have been done before now. I feel let down by the police as an organisation,” said Andrew. “I will meet the investigating detective and I will be saying to her [that] the PSNI let me down and everybody else.