Eamonn Casey was a “sexual predator” – according to the documentary

The former CEO of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Irish Catholic Church has described former Bishop of Galway Eamonn Casey as a “sexual predator”.

Ian Elliott makes these comments in an RTÉ documentary in association with the Irish Mail on Sunday.

The program examines the Catholic Church’s handling of the allegations against Bishop Casey, who died in 2017.

“Bishop Casey’s Buried Secrets” includes an interview with one of the former bishop’s accusers, his niece Patricia Donovan, who claims that Casey first raped her when she was five years old and that the sexual abuse continued for years.

Mr Elliot, who has direct knowledge of Ms Donovan’s complaint against Casey, told the inquiry that he found her account of her experiences to be “entirely credible”.

Read: Casey was fired from public service in 2007 due to allegations

Speaking on camera for the first time, Ms O’Donovan said: “Some of the things he did to me and where he did them… the horror of me being raped by him at five years old, the violence. And it just went on like that… He had no fear of getting caught.”

“He thought he could do what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted… He was almost angry that I dared to fight him, that I dared to try to hurt him, that I dared to try to stop him… It made no difference…”

In 2019, the Diocese of Galway told the Irish Mail on Sunday that it had received only a single allegation of child sexual abuse against Bishop Casey.

It has since been confirmed that at that time there were indeed “five people who had complained of childhood sexual abuse by Bishop Casey.”

These independent allegations relate to alleged events in every Irish diocese in which Bishop Casey worked.

Bishop Casey’s Buried Secrets also reveals how the Diocese of Limerick paid over €100,000 in compensation to one of Bishop Casey’s accusers following his death.

The current Bishop of Limerick, Dr Brendan Leahy, who has access to documents relating to complaints raised in his diocese, expressed his deep sadness and regret to all those harmed by clerical abuse.

“…including the people referred to in this documentary. They deserve our respect, our belief and our support. Without commenting on any specific allegation, I have no reason not to believe any of the allegations made.”

The inquiry has also confirmed that Bishop Casey was formally dismissed from public ministry by the Vatican in 2007 following “allegations” made against him, which RTÉ said included his niece reporting him for child sexual abuse. This restriction was in place for the last ten years of his life, but was never publicly announced during Bishop Casey’s lifetime.

Despite resigning as Bishop of Galway in 1992, he remained bishop until his death in 2017, claiming that his dismissal from office was unjustified.

The documentary also features friends, colleagues and supporters who are still struggling to cope with the allegations made against him.

However, the Vatican declined to comment on the investigation procedure used and whether the sanctions imposed on Bishop Casey were punitive or precautionary in nature.

Bishop Casey’s Buried Secrets airs tonight at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and is available worldwide on RTÉ Player.