Victim would 'dance on his grave'

If she could, Megan says, she would dance on his grave

If she could, Megan says, she would dance on his grave. She is "delighted" that the family friend who abused her close to 100 times over 10 years since she was six years old is dead. "I hope he is in hell," said the 25-year-old Belfast woman. "I hope he rots in hell. Ninety-nine per cent of his victims will be celebrating that he is dead."

Megan, which is not her real name, heard about Smyth's death last night on the car radio.

"I just said 'thank God he died' because now he will never ever touch anybody again and to me it's the end now. My only battle left is for compensation from the church."

She said it was a "disgrace" that none of Smyth's victims have received compensation from the Catholic Church in Ireland.

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She said Smyth's Norbertine Order had been "as bad as Smyth throughout it all" for not compensating the victims.

"This will probably fall on deaf ears as well but they should put a complete and final end to it. For every victim who has put a claim in, in the North and the South, they should have the decency to co-operate with them."

Smyth also abused 11 other children in Megan's immediate circle, including several cousins.

She confronted him in court during last month's sentence hearing. She stared straight at him and, biting her lower lip, said "I hate him. I hate him for what he has done to my family."

"I'm so glad I did that," she says. "I can't say to myself he's dead and I never faced him. I think for a lot of other people it's a pity that they didn't get that chance because now they'll never be able to face him."