PSNI sets up dedicated team to investigate Father Malachy Finegan

The PSNI has asked victims to get in touch.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) have set up a dedicated team to investigate the circumstances surrounding the late priest Father Malachy Finegan.

Father Finegan, who died in 2002, was a teacher at the all-boys St Colman’s College in Newry from 1967 to 1976 and was later President of the school. Throughout his tenure, a litany of sexual abuse claims were made against him by former pupils of the school.

The PSNI said although the former teacher “can no longer be held accountable in a court”, lessons may be learnt from how authorities dealt with him.

Finegan was brought up again recently in Irish news as a tearful Mary McAleese mentioned in a recent interview that her younger brother had been one of the late priest’s abusees.

In an interview with Sean O’Rourke on RTÉ Today just a fortnight ago, she held back tears mentioning how her youngest brother was “seriously, physically, sadistically abused” by Finegan while he attended St Colman’s Grammar School in Newry, Co Down.

“There were supposed to be no more secrets, and yet here we are. And there are a mountain of them,” she said.

Ms McAleese also mentioned that her elderly mother had only found out about the abuse in the Belfast Telegraph three weeks prior to her interview.

The new team set to investigate the case has been set up within the Public Protection Branch of the PSNI.

The investigation has several aims, including establishing when the authorities first became aware of the abuse allegations, what information was reported to police and what action was taken to protect children and young people at that time.

They’ve asked for victims of Father Finegan’s abuse, or witnesses who may know any information surrounding the scandal, to contact the team.

Appealing to victims, the PSNI said: “If you were abused by Father Malachy Finegan, or abused by any other person at St Colman’s between 1967 and 1987, the investigation team would like to hear from you.

“Please report the matter directly to the PSNI on 101, the non-emergency number.”

Finegan was accused of sexual abuse allegations during his time in both St Colman’s College and afterwards when he was appointed a parish priest in Clonduff, County Down. He was never questioned about these allegations during his lifetime.

The controversy led to the resignation of Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore, who was criticised for both concealing important information and concelebrating a Mass with Father Finegan despite being aware of the serious allegations against him.

In his initial statement in February, Dr McAreavey apologised to victims for officiating at Fr Finegan’s funeral in 2002.

The bishop also said: “The first allegation against Malachy Finegan came to light in 1994 some seven years after he left St Colman’s College.

“The second allegation came in 1998 and was not related to his tenure at St Colman’s.

“No further allegations emerged until after his death in January 2002.”

The allegations of abuse by the priest were first reported after a long-running investigation by BBC NI’s Spotlight programme.