Abuse victim gets settlement after claims MI5 agent protected

Gary Hoy, a 63-year-old victim of abuse at Kincora Boys' Home, has secured an undisclosed settlement after claiming that a paedophile housemaster was shielded from prosecution due to his connections with MI5. Hoy sought damages from both the home secretary and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for the abuse he suffered at the now-demolished children's home in east Belfast during the 1970s. The legal proceedings reached a resolution at the High Court in Belfast, although the terms remain confidential, and no admission of liability was made by the defendants. The Kincora Boys' Home has a notorious history, with at least 29 boys reportedly abused on-site from the 1950s to the 1980s, under the supervision of William McGrath, a housemaster who was later imprisoned for his actions as part of a larger paedophile ring. McGrath, who was known as the 'Beast of Kincora', was also involved in the far-right loyalist movement Tara and died in the early 1990s.

Hoy's legal team alleged that authorities allowed McGrath to exploit vulnerable boys to gather intelligence on the loyalist group he was part of. They claimed that police efforts to investigate McGrath were obstructed due to his status as an MI5 informant, leading to accusations of negligence and misfeasance in public office against the PSNI, Home Office, and Department of Health. Although the defendants contested any liability for failing to protect the victims, a three-day trial was scheduled to commence, only for the case to be settled just before it began. After the court proceedings, Hoy emphasized that his pursuit of justice was never motivated by financial gain but rather by a desire to hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions. The presiding judge, Mr. Justice Simpson, praised all involved for achieving a resolution in what he acknowledged to be a complex and challenging case.