A total of €745,000 compensation has been awarded against the State in High Court actions by three former residents of St Joseph's orphanage in Kilkenny. A case involving a fourth former resident is pending.
It follows the 2002 State indemnity deal with 18 religious congregations which managed orphanages and industrial schools.
Under the deal they paid € 128 million in cash and property to the State redress scheme for former residents at the institutions in return for a guarantee of indemnity against all future legal actions by former residents.
At a hearing of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee in January, the Comptroller and Auditor General John Purcell estimated that the redress scheme would cost the State €1.35 billion. It follows application by almost 14,600 former residents at the institutions to the redress board by the deadline of December 15th last year.
In a judgment on March 1st, 2005, the High Court awarded Raymond Noctor €370,000 compensation, one of the highest such figures in an abuse case, following severe sexual abuse by care worker David Murray at St Joseph's from 1972.
Mr Noctor told the court he was raped two or three times a week and was subjected to severe beatings by Murray. Murray would set his Alsatian on him and once attempted to involve the dog in a sexual act.
Mr Noctor said in a statement after the court hearing that the actions of the State and the Sisters of Charity in trenchantly denying the validity of his claim over many years "heaped insult on top of injury". The Sisters of Charity said they acknowledged that Mr Noctor was abused by Murray and were sincerely sorry for the hurt and suffering he endured.
In a High Court judgment on March 26th last, Justice Diarmuid O'Donovan awarded David Connellan €300,000 following "vicious and demeaning" physical, sexual, emotional and racial abuse over five years at St Joseph's by female and male carers. It is understood the State is appealing the €50,000 aggravated damages of the award.
In a High Court decision on June 30th, 2003, Justice Kevin O'Higgins awarded Michael Delahunty €75,000 following his sexual assault by Myles Brady at St Joseph's in 1976. Mr Delahunty, aged 12 at the time, was not a resident at the orphanage but was visiting a friend there when the assault took place. His friend was sent on an errand by Brady, who locked the room door before the assault took place.
