Man tells of abuse by Brendan Smyth

12 November 2014

A NOTORIOUS paedophile priest threatened to kill the son of Disappeared victim Jean McConville if he revealed abuse he suffered at Rubane House in Kircubbin, the Historical Abuse Inquiry has heard.

As the inquiry continued in Banbridge on Thursday, 48 year-old Billy McConville spoke of his abuse at the hands of Fr. Brendan Smyth who he claimed threatened to “bury him in the woods” if he told anyone about assault he inflicted during visits to the boys’ home.

Mr. McConville was sent to Rubane in 1972 at the age of six, after the IRA murdered and hid the body of his mother Jean, leaving 10 orphaned children.

During his evidence, he spoke of sex abuse, physical beatings and being starved by staff.

Telling the inquiry of an attack carried out by Smyth in a farmyard within the grounds of Rubane when he was 10 or 11, Mr. McConville said he “didn’t know what to do.”

“He [Smyth] said, “You tell any Brothers, any of the staff, I’m going to slash your throat and I’m going to bury you down amongst the rubbish,” he said.

“I never told anybody that for years, I’m terrified of priests.”

Mr. McConville told the inquiry panel that he was stripped naked by a teacher on one occasion and

kicked with a ball with such force that he was taken to hospital for bleeding.

“I took a football off him and he didn’t like this and he put me in the corner and tied my hands behind my back and kicked the ball in the privates,” he said.

Describing his 10 years at Rubane as “one hell of a nightmare”, Mr. McConville said he finally left when he was 16 but has since been plagued by his memories of that time.

After his appearance at the tribunal he admitted his childhood experience had left him struggling with alcohol and drugs.

“I was diagnosed as a chronic alcoholic at the age of 21,” he said afterwards.

“I’ve been in and out of institutions all my life. I’ve tried to kill myself a number of times.

“I don’t believe victims here will ever get justice.”

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