Members of Congress will be hearing of another sordid tale sourced in the Kincora Boys Home scandal
By Irish Echo Staff
Just as it brought the Belfast Protestant Raymond McCord, Jr. case to the United States Congress, the Washington, D.C.-based Irish National Caucus is bringing the case of Richard Kerr before Congress.
According to the INC, Kerr, 60, and originally from Belfast but living in Texas since 1988, claims he was abused by "very powerful people" with links to both the former Kincora Boys Home and to MI5/British intelligence.
Said the INC in a statement: "Kincora was commonly regarded as a home for Protestant boys and it was run by Protestants. It has also been claimed that the RUC knew about the abuse but was either unwilling or unable to stop it. And we all know too well the terrible evil caused if State or Church cover up the sexual abuse of children.
"In 2017, Mr. Kerr was due to give evidence to the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Inquiry in Belfast. But on the advice of his legal team he withdrew from the Inquiry because key State documents were not made available to his legal team. However, Mr. Kerr has mounted a legal challenge against the findings of the inquiry. After all, British courts and inquiries, in both England and Northern Ireland, are replete with wrong or corrupt rulings."
Fr. Sean McManus, INc president, said: “We have almost a fifty-year history of helping people from Northern Ireland raise their cases in the U.S. Congress.
"We ourselves are not investigators and do not have direct knowledge of incidents we may bring before Congress, but we believe victims of British government injustice and mistreatment should be given a chance to tell their story to members of Congress.
"That is part of our mission. We were proud and honored to help the Protestant Raymond McCord, Sr. to raise the 1997 murder of his son, Raymond, Jr. and we are proud and honored to help the Protestant Richard Kerr to raise his case. Ecumenism is at its best when Protestants and Catholics not only pray together for peace, but also work for justice because peace is the fruit of justice and solidarity.”
Fr. McManus continued: “In fifty years, Raymond McCord, Sr. and Richard Kerr are the only two Protestants activists/victims from Northern Ireland who have sought our help to raise their issue in the U.S. Congress. That is because Protestants/Unionists/Loyalists dare not break rank and challenge British intelligence and the British government because when they do, they are isolated and shunned by the Protestant establishment and power structure. And this is even more reason, apart from the intrinsic merit of their cases, why they should be supported by the Irish National Caucus and our congressional friends.”
