A large-scale investigation into historical child abuse at St John Ambulance (SJA) has been completed and up to 100 people have been interviewed.
he Sunday Independent understands that the key work, led by Dr Geoffrey Shannon, former Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, is expected to be submitted to SJA within a few weeks.
There was no strict deadline as more victims came forward, including one survivor last month.
It is understood that the report, which spans several hundred pages and includes the testimonies of dozens of victims, will undergo legal checks to ensure there are no barriers to its publication.
dr. Shannon declined to comment on the status of his investigation, saying it would be inappropriate to talk about his report before it was submitted.
The review will focus on handling complaints about sexual abuse.
dr. Shannon and a small team were commissioned in March last year.
The leading child protection expert and a small team first interviewed victims before speaking with members of SJA.
Mick Finnegan, 39, who first reported sexual abuse against a named perpetrator to Gardaí and the organization more than 20 years ago, said he and other survivors feared SJA might see the report for the men who were children were attacked.
“Survivors should have a copy of Dr. Shannon should get it at the same time the review is presented to the board of St John Ambulance,” he told the Sunday Independent.
“I was disappointed to hear the Minister for Children (Roderic O’Gorman) say in the Dáil that he had no legal authority to force St John Ambulance to give survivors a copy of Dr. Shannon, but that he understood she would eventually give survivors a copy.
“This is unacceptable and it is disrespectful to the survivors.”
A source close to the study said Dr. Shannon and his team were keen for victims to have a copy at the same time as St John’s Ambulance, in the interest of fairness and accountability.
However, this was “finally” the call from St John Ambulance when they ordered the assessment.
The report will make recommendations. Part of the goal is to ensure the protection of children in the future.
Mr Finnegan has called for “real accountability” from SJA.
Tusla investigated several complaints against the accused in Mr Finnegan’s case and determined that the allegations were well founded.
An investigation by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau into another former volunteer for sexually abusing a number of men is at an advanced stage.
Mr Finnegan, originally from Crumlin, Dublin, said his abuser was a senior officer involved with the Old Kilmainham division.
“I joined when I was 12,” he said. “The abuse started almost as soon as I joined.
“His modus operandi was to use first aid as a reason to touch and sexually abuse me. It started as moving and escalated over time.
“It escalated to the point where he beat me up when I was 14, then pinned me on a bed, face down, and raped me.
“He beat me up and raped me because I rejected his advances. It was mean. I said, ‘No, I don’t want you to do this to me anymore.’”
Now a Trinity student studying to become a social worker, Mr. Finnegan stopped the SJA to escape his attacker.
St John Ambulance said: “The board of St John Ambulance Ireland (SJAI) has commissioned an independent inquiry to assess the treatment of historical child sexual abuse within SJAI in response to allegations against a former volunteer.
“Members of SJAI and its board cooperate fully.”