Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Last week, I was contacted by a very nice man I met many years ago. He informed me that he was previously in the Army and that he had been a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of an officer over many years. Approximately 20 years ago, he took a High Court case where, although the sexual abuse was acknowledged, finding the Army culpable was not accepted at that time by the court. Since then, there has been the Women of Honour inquiry, which has highlighted the widespread, systemic nature of sexual and other abuse in the Defence Forces. There is an inquiry coming and it is long overdue. My friend has asked whether that inquiry will extend not only to the abuse suffered by women, but also sexual and other abuse suffered by men. He asks this because he wants it to be. It is a very reasonable request and he would be very keen to hear the Government’s answer because he deserves justice for the terrible abuse and suffering that he had inflicted on him.

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