Free The Atlas Murders by John Molloy Page B

the divorce hearing, and the judge asked Mary Hayden's legal team if they
were pursuing a prosecution against this man on the grounds of criminal abuse.
As yet, there hasn’t been any charges brought against him, but maybe this is
one reason he doesn't take leave when the ship arrives back here in Britain."
     "Next we have Sean
Sweeney, the radio operator. He was born in Galway, in the West of Ireland. He
is aged twenty-four and has been sailing with Carlisle Brent Shipping for the
last two years, during which time he has only taken leave when the ship was in
dry dock for overhaul and repairs. His mother died when he was five years of
age and he was put into an orphanage called Letterfrack in the West of Ireland.
This place is run by Catholic clergy and we have very confidential information
that's not normally available in Ireland because of the stranglehold the
Catholic Church has on the powers that be. Physical abuse is common but sexual
abuse is also believed to be rife. I will leave Tom to explain later what this
type of treatment can do to young men.” Vincent shifted himself in his chair as
if this account of the young man’s upbringing was causing him discomfort. He
gave a little cough and continued.
    “He studied for his radio
operator's exam in Dublin and took up employment with Marconi. This is a
peculiarity with shipping companies, they don’t directly employ their radiomen
they lease the equipment and operators from Marconi. Well, his present address
is Drumcondra Dublin where he lives with an aunt, a sister of his mother. She
took him from this orphanage when he was twelve years of age. Apparently, she would
visit him in the orphanage a few times a year, and having only one child, a son
a little older than Sean, she thought they would be company for one another.
There was a statement we got from an undercover man that she made to a Garda
Superintendent but was never acted on. She was very upset with the treatment
she saw meted out to one young boy on one of her visits.” He stopped and looked
at Henry whose face was mask like. Then he continued by reading out a summary
of the aunt’s statement.
     “She arrived at the school
at mid-morning as most boys were in class. This was not normally a visiting
time and her unannounced walk along a corridor brought her to a door where she
heard a boy screaming. Like any concerned mother she pushed open the door and
to her utter horror she saw the young boy spread face down over a low desk with
his pants pulled down to his ankles. A Christian brother stood behind him with
his back to her, fumbling at his buttons. She could not believe what she‘d seen.
The man then grabbed the young boy and stood him upright, pulling up his pants
and then ordered the boy to go back to his class.
    The aunt stopped the young boy
and took out her handkerchief to wipe tears from the sobbing child. A brother
appeared at the door and tried to make out the boy had been misbehaving.
    She was infuriated by his
feeble utterances and asked where Sean Sweeney was. He pointed to a classroom
door further down the corridor.
    She entered the classroom and
Sean raced over to her. She marched him out of the building and down the rough
country road to wait for the bus to Dublin.”
    Vincent turned the page over
and looked for reaction from Henry, who was silent with a look of incredulity
written all over his face. Then he continued.
     "Next we have Hadar
Tukola. He grew up in East London, but was born in Singapore to a Singaporean
mother and father from the Celebes Islands - a place called Paloo. The father
didn't come to Britain. His mother arrived with her son some six years back,
and has worked in a factory. She has a live-in boyfriend from Pakistan. It is rumored
that the young Hadar and this man don’t get on too well, so this might account
for his infrequent home visits. We have enquired to the police in Singapore to
see if there are records for any of his family. However, there's not much