Dublin Diocesan Report

The report says the actions of the gardaí who were involved in or investigated the case of one serial clerical sex abuser in the mid 1980s were shocking.

It accuses them of connivance with the Church in effectively stifling one complaint, failing to investigate another and allowing him to leave the country.

It also says the Commission would not have been aware of this were it not for information contained in Church files.

It says there were inappropriate contacts between the Church and some senior Garda officers but it also praises junior gardaí for prosecuting paedophile priests.

It says attempts by Bishop James Kavanagh to influence a garda investigation were unsuccessful because lower ranking gardaí did their job properly.

Commissioner Daniel Costigan is strongly criticised for in 1960 failing to investigate a priest who took photographs of children naked in Crumlin children's hospital.

Scotland Yard alerted the gardaí when the photos were sent to England to be developed but the Commissioner handed the case over the Archbishop John Charles McQuaid.

The priest continued to abuse and was finally convicted and jailed 27 years later in 1997. The commission found Commissioner Costigan breached his duty.

A sergeant refused to believe that serial child abuser Fr Donal Gallagher was anything but sincere and genuine and failed to properly investigate allegations against him.

The DPP could not recommend the priest be prosecuted because the file was so poor. The sergeant later admitted his shortcomings.

The report has also praised the work of junior gardaí and singles out Garda Finbar Garland who was so shocked and disgusted by the acts of former priest Bill Carney that he investigated with speed and efficiency.

The report found that Bishop James Kavanagh's attempts to influence the process were not successful because lower ranking Gardai did their job properly.

In a statement this afternoon, the Garda Commissioner said he was deeply sorry the victims did not receive the level of response and protection they were entitled to.

Fachtna Murphy also said that new procedures and facilities that are now in place to ensure confidence in Garda investigations and effectiveness in methods so that abusers cannot draw a cloak of mistrust and fear around their crimes.