A sex abuse campaigner yesterday blasted church bosses after claims that victims at his school tried to report a paedophile teacher 14 years ago.
Christian Brother John Gibson, 72, was jailed for two years earlier this week for sick sex attacks on a boy and girl at the Co Wexford school where he taught.
During the five day trial, the female victim, now 47, told the court that she wrote an email to the Diocese of Ferns in 2005, telling them of her abuse - but received no response.
At the time, the Diocese was in the international spotlight for its failure to handle clerical abuse allegations.
Now victims’ advocate and Amnesty Ireland director, Colm O’Gorman, insists Bishop Denis Brennan - who was the delegate appointed to look after child protection matters in 2005 - needs to explain why a complaint was not passed on to Gardai at the time.
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He told the Irish Mirror last night: “It is frankly appalling.
“He (Denis Brennan) needs to respond and explain why this email received no response.”
The woman was molested by Gibson twice at the age of 12 when he asked her to do some painting in the school during the summer holidays of 1983.
She said in evidence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that she tried to warn the Church in 2005 that Gibson was a paedophile.
She said: “I wrote an email, but got no response. I never went any further with it.”
Speaking outside the court, the woman told the Irish Mirror that she bought a hard copy of the Ferns Report after it was published that year and expected to see Gibson named in it.
When she realised that he had never been caught, she sent an email to the Diocese telling them what he had done to her.
Mr O’Gorman said: “The woman has made it very very clear that she wrote an email.
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“I mean email is not an unreliable technology and if she had used the wrong address or if she had done something, it would have bounced back to her and she would know that.”
The male victim, now 46, was molested by Gibson in the shower room at the Wexford school during the summer of 1985.
He insists the order of Christian Brothers also knew that Gibson was a paedophile, but allowed him to continue teaching.
In his evidence to the court, he said that he met with a Christian Brother who had been appointed to deal with allegations of sexual abuse at the Talbot Hotel in 2001.
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He said: “Back in early 2001/2002 - I got a letter of apology, I burned it, I was drawing a line in the sand.”
The Irish Mirror made repeated attempts to speak with those responsible for safeguarding within the Christian Brothers order, but received no response.
Mr O’Gorman added that he has direct experience of another case where in that same year, 2005, the then acting Diocesan Delegate failed to tell the Ferns Inquiry of fresh allegations of abuse.
“In my involvement in supporting people to coming forward to speak to the Ferns Inquiry in the last couple of months of the Ferns inquiry (2005) it became clear to us that at least one complaint that had been made to the Diocese in May of that year had not been reported by the Diocese to the Inquiry.
“So either the Diocese at the time was extremely incompetent or it was trying to find ways to not pass on information.”
In addition, a separate source told the Irish Mirror last night that Gibson was moved from the Wexford school to another Christian Brothers School in Dublin in 1994.
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He was still working there in 2002, carrying out different duties, but not actually teaching.
“He never retired officially, it was the case that he was not in class.”
A spokesman for Bishop Brennan insisted he would not be making any comment.
A former Mayor of Wexford and current teacher at the town’s CBS, said the case had been a “long and harrowing process” for Gibson’s victims.
Local election candidate Joe Ryan paid tribute to them for speaking out - and said the CBS Order must provide counselling for those he abused.
He added: “I would encourage anyone who is distressed by the case to make contact with Wexford Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Services.
“I would appeal to anyone who has concerns about sexual abuse to make contact with An Garda Siochana to have the matter investigated.
“The Christian Brothers Order has a moral responsibility towards John Gibson’s victims as he served at this school and took advantage of that reality to exploit it for the purpose of abusing vulnerable teenagers.
"I would call on the order to provide counselling for Gibson’s victims.
“It goes without saying that his activities have disgusted and revolted staff members who served with him.”
