Semi-State body to raise abuse controversy with Order of Malta

A semi-State body that provided the Order of Malta with €170,000 in funding last year has said it plans to question the first-aid organisation over the handling of a recent sexual abuse controversy.

The organisation has come under increased scrutiny over the handling of multiple sexual assault allegations made against a former ambulance corps volunteer, who went on to molest two 15-year-old boys.

An internal report into the case found the Order of Malta had failed to take action against the abuser, despite receiving two prior reports of him allegedly having sexually assaulted young men.

An 18-year-old man reported allegedly having been sexually assaulted by the older volunteer in 2015, with the organisation receiving a further report in late 2017 of another 18-year-old man allegedly having been sexually assaulted by the man.

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The alleged perpetrator, Scott Browne (32), from Co Kildare, later went on to sexually abuse two 15-year-old boys in separate incidents in 2018. He was jailed for 9½ years in 2020 over the abuse of the underage boys, with a Garda investigation into several further alleged sexual assaults ongoing.

The internal report, as well as a further independent report, found major shortcomings in how the Order of Malta responded to prior warnings about Browne. The inquiries criticised the fact he was only removed as a volunteer when gardaí began investigating the abuse of the underage teenagers in 2018.

Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), which provided the Order of Malta with €170,000 in funding last year, is to raise the controversy with the organisation in an upcoming meeting.

The national authority for thoroughbred racing provides annual funding to the organisation for first-aid support at horse racing events.

A spokesman for HRI said the semi-State body would be “discussing the details of the media reports with the Order of Malta in the course of the upcoming prearranged meeting in the next couple of weeks”.

The organisation’s ambulance corps had been a “key provider” of first-aid services to the horse racing industry for many years, he said.

The Order of Malta received more than €640,000 in State funding through various departments and public bodies last year, according to its latest financial accounts.

This included the funding from HRI, as well as €300,000 under a Government support scheme for charities and community organisations which was introduced due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The organisation’s latest financial accounts also state it received €55,000 from the Department of Children last year, and €90,000 from the Department of Rural and Community Development. Overall, the organisation reported an income of €2.7 million in 2021.

Neither the Department of Children nor the Department of Community Development wished to comment on the abuse controversy facing the organisation when contacted.

The previous independent report into the handling of allegations about Browne found significant shortcomings on the part of the organisation could have placed other individuals in possible danger.

Earlier this year the Order of Malta commissioned a further full investigation into the case, which is due to conclude shortly.

The team carrying out that review is made up of the organisation’s current chief executive, John Byrne, his predecessor Peadar Ward, and one external figure, retired assistant Garda commissioner Fintan Fanning.

The organisation has said the findings of that review will help improve procedures and practices in its ambulance corps.