A 42-year-old mother of two yesterday said she would like to see a written commitment from the State that it would not seek to take possession of her house after she was left with a €500,000 legal bill following a failed action against the State over sexual abuse.
Louise O'Keeffe, Thoam, Dunmanway, Co Cork, said she appreciated comments made by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in the Dáil yesterday that the State would not seek to take possession of Ms O'Keeffe's home to recoup its costs. She is facing a €500,000 legal bill after the High Court found the Department of Education was not liable for injury she suffered when she was sexually abused by teacher Leo Hickey while a pupil at Dunderrow National School, Co Cork, in 1973.
Ms O'Keeffe had expressed fears that she would lose her house and Labour leader Pat Rabbitte raised the matter in the Dáil yesterday only for Mr Ahern to respond and reassure Ms O'Keeffe the State would not be seeking possession of her home.
"I understand that the State Claims Agency told the lady's solicitor on the record at an earlier meeting that while some arrangement had to be made in relation to costs, there was no question whatsoever of her losing her house, so that doesn't arise," said Mr Ahern.
Ms O'Keeffe said she would like to have this in writing, though she recognised it was highly unlikely at the moment because a stay had been put on the High Court order pending her appeal to the Supreme Court.
"My feelings regarding the responsibilities of the Department of Education haven't changed. I still think they were responsible for what happened to me . . . a complaint was made in 1971, it was not acted upon and it was the department that approved Leo Hickey as a teacher."
She was "astounded and hugely uplifted" by an offer from the Rape Crisis Network to fundraise to meet her legal bills, though she would have to consider carefully such a move as it could deprive the rape crisis centres of funding for counselling.
Rape Crisis Network executive director Fiona Neary cautioned that the State could end up deterring other citizens from taking cases to establish who was responsible for the catastrophic abuse of children if they pursued Ms O'Keeffe for their costs. "We saw how Irish people were affected by the terrible injustice of the release of Mr A earlier this year. We know that they will feel the same if she [ Ms O'Keeffe] is made homeless and destitute as a result of trying to establish who was responsible for her abuse," said Ms Neary.
