Abused victim's family calls on DPP to appeal sentence

THE FAMILY of a Co Clare sex abuse victim yesterday called on the Director of the Public Prosecutions (DPP) to appeal the suspended sentence handed down to serial child abuser, Thomas Waters.

At Ennis Circuit Court earlier this month, the 64-year-old of Moore Street, Kilrush walked free from Ennis courthouse after pleading guilty to the indecent assault of three young boys and the buggery of one of them in the late 1970s-early 1980s.

It was the third time that the former judo instructor and cub-scout leader was before the courts concerning his abuse and he was allowed to remain out of jail in 2006 after paying two other victims €60,000.

In court 15-days ago, Waters received a four-year suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecent assault and one charge of buggery on one boy then aged 11-12 on dates in 1980-82. He also pleaded guilty to the indecent assault of two boys who were brothers. In a statement, the victim’s father called on the DPP to appeal the sentence, stating that the family is “outraged” at the verdict.

In court, Judge Carroll Moran had praised the victim’s Christian attitude after he told the court from the witness box that he forgave Waters and that it was all too easy for society to demonise him.

However, the victim’s father states: “My son told the court that he forgave Waters, but that didn’t mean that he wanted him to get off scot free. My son wants justice, he didn’t get that at Ennis Circuit Court.”

“My son has lost his marriage, his home, his job and now lives in a one-bedroomed flat in the UK and was being very close to being made homeless.”

The victim’s brother said yesterday that advocacy group for victims, ‘‘One-in-Four’’ is writing to the DPP to urge the office to appeal the sentence.

The victim’s father said: “In handing down the suspended sentence, Judge Carroll Moran said that he took into account the antiquity of the offences and that Waters had pleaded guilty.

“If that logic was applied to the perpetrators of abuse in the State’s industrial schools outlined in the Ryan report, then all the abusers who own up would walk free. The public would justifiably be outraged at this, just as we are outraged now.’’