Security has been increased around convicted killer Malcolm Macarthur following claims in the Dáil that he engaged the services of a rent boy with a Department of Education official. This official was supposed to have investigated allegations of child abuse.
Macarthur yesterday rejected the Dáil allegations outright. A source close to him said he had been moved from the relaxed regime of the Mountjoy Training Unit to a more secure facility for his own safety.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education said it had referred the allegations about the now retired official to gardaí, who were investigating the matter.
The allegations were made in a submission to the Laffoy commission by a man who alleges he was abused as a boy at one of the State institutions the official was assigned to investigate.
He claims he later met the official and Macarthur when they picked him up as a rent boy.
Outgoing Fine Gael TD Mr Phil Hogan used Dáil privilege last Wednesday to raise concerns about the official who, he said, had been "implicated in a rent-a-boy sex ring with convicted killer Malcolm Macarthur".
A statement issued by Macarthur's solicitor yesterday said no such allegation had been communicated to Macarthur either by his accuser or any other party.
"Mr Macarthur refutes the allegation in its entirety," it stated.
The statement continued that Macarthur, who was jailed for the murder of a nurse, Ms Bridie Gargan, 20 years ago, had written to the Laffoy commission and requested full details of the claim.
"He is prepared to co-operate fully with the commission in its investigation, including furnishing a statement in reply and giving evidence if requested to do so.
"He requests the media, if covering the issue, not to report as fact these unproven allegations, even where made under parliamentary privilege, and to give equal prominence to his categoric denial of their truth."
A statement from the Department of Education, meanwhile, said the claims made by Mr Hogan were being treated with "utmost concern".
Mr Hogan, in his Dáil address, had condemned the Department for its failure to take action about the official.
He said child abuse had been covered up and questioned whether anyone in the Department cared.
The Department's statement said the Minister, Dr Woods, shared society's revulsion at child abusers and would "seek to do everything possible to root out this evil and assist in bringing its perpetrators to justice".
It said he could not comment further, however, for fear of prejudicing the Garda investigation or any subsequent legal proceedings.
Mr Hogan said that before his retirement, the official was linked to investigations into sexual abuse in residential centres in Kilkenny city, Cappoquin, Co Waterford and Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
Dr Woods said yesterday that he contacted gardaí when he became aware of the matter.