Boarding school confirms alleged incident investigated by gardaí, Tusla

The south Dublin boarding school at the centre of allegations that a 13-year-old boy was sexually assaulted by a number of his peers, has issued a statement confirming the matter is being investigated by gardai and Tusla.

The King’s Hospital school in Palmerstown said it could not “ make any statement which might prejudice those investigations”.

“However, it is imperative that certain inaccuracies reported in the media which have caused understandable anxiety to parents of our pupils and to the wider public are corrected,” it said.

It said the health, safety and welfare of the student concerned and all students have beeen a “prority” for every staff member.

“The management and staff have actioned the correct procedures and requirements, including liaising with the appropriate agencies.

We also ensured that the parents of the alleged victim and of the students allegedly involved were briefed as soon as possible,” it said.

“At no stage did the management and staff fail to act on legal advice. Neither did the school seek advice from the State agencies by using hypothetical scenarios,” the statement said.

Meanwhile Taoiseach Enda Kenny has expressed concerns about claims that the incident was not reported to the Garda for four days.

“I’d be very upset if that allegation is true,” Mr Kenny told reporters in New York on the third day of his trade and investment trip to the United States.

He noted that the Minister for Education Richard Bruton was "exceptionally distressed" about the alleged incident.

“Ireland has very strong child security systems. Children are central to Government,” he said, noting how children were protected under the Constitution and by the Department of Education and the child and family agency Tusla.

“I do hope that the allegations that have been made are dealt with quickly and effectively by the authorities,” said Mr Kenny. “It wouldn’t be for me to comment on the nature of the allegations until the authorities have carried out a full investigation

Earlier Minister for Education Richard Bruton said on Friday that the allegations are “disturbing”.

Responding to a report in today's Irish Times that King's Hospital secondary school appeared to have delayed reporting the incident to gardaí or Tusla until four days after it was understood to have occurred last Thursday, the Minister said any parent would be "very worried" to hear of the alleged sexual assault.

“The alleged incident here is disturbing, there is no doubt about that... Any parent would be very worried about an incident such as this,” he said on Friday.

Although the alleged incident occurred on Thursday of last week, The Irish Times understands authorities were not alerted until the following Tuesday.

It is thought eight pupils were involved in the alleged assault, which is said to have involved a hockey stick, all of whom have since been suspended.

Mr Bruton said his department will ensure all schools are aware of their responsibilities for reporting such incidents, adding he will not consider the establishment of a departmental investigation until the full facts are known.

“I think we have to step back and allow those who have the authority to investigate to get the time and space to do that, and then we can draw conclusions afterwards.

“If there is a need to review any element of our (childcare) codes we will always review them in the light of the findings of an inquiry such as this,” he said.

The incident is alleged to have happened in a dormitory at the Church of Ireland-governed King’s Hospital school in Palmerstown on Thursday night last week.

It was reported to the school authorities the following morning, and the school’s lawyers advised later that day that the matter be reported to the Garda and the child and family agency Tusla.

“They were absolutely clear about that,” a source said in relation to the legal advice. However, the advice was not acted upon until Tuesday of this week.

The eight pupils allegedly involved in the assault, believed to be peers of the boy, have since been suspended by the school.

The Irish Times understands the boy claims he was sexually assaulted twice with the hockey stick.

The school contacted lawyers on Friday for legal opinion on dealing with the matter, and was advised to report it to Tusla and the gardaí immediately.

However, this was not done until late on Tuesday afternoon of this week. By this stage, The Irish Times had contacted the school with questions about the matter.

It has also emerged the boy’s family was told last Friday the school had been in contact with Tusla.

This was understood by the family to mean the alleged incident had been reported to Tusla.

However, it is understood the school had put a hypothetical case to the agency, seeking an opinion on what was the best course of action in an apparently construed situation.

The Irish Times has also learned the school authorities confiscated mobile phones belonging to the alleged attackers last Tuesday because it suspected the incident had been filmed and photographed.

In an address to the school’s parents’ association last September, King’s Hospital headmaster John Rafter told them “the new policy with regard to mobile phones for 1st to 3rd-year boarders was to have them hand-up their phones at night”.

It is understood the school was in contact last Tuesday afternoon with the family of the boy allegedly attacked to say the media had become aware of the alleged incident.

It is believed the school asked whether the family might agree to a combined statement from the school and themselves.

The family declined.

Contact details for members of the school’s parents’ association were removed from the King’s Hospital website on Thursday.

However, Hazel Boles, a member of the parents’ association and the boarding parents’ representative on the school’s board of management, said she felt constrained from commenting.

“I didn’t know the details,” she said.

She said there were plans for the school board to meet about the matter but it had yet to be agreed when this would happen.