Croagh Pat

GIRL IN TUSLA CARE ALLEGEDLY SEXUALLY EXPLOITED BY UP TO 30 ADULT MEN, COURT HEARS A report in today’s Irish Times by Kitty Holland, Wednesday, 4 November 2026, reveals shocking evidence presented to the Dublin District Childcare Court concerning the sexual exploitation of a teenage girl in the care of Tusla. Judge Conor Fottrell was told that the girl, who has been in Tusla’s care since earlier this year, was being brought to hotels and private residences for sex with up to 30 adult males in exchange for alcohol and drugs. The judge described the allegations as child sexual exploitation on a scale he had never previously encountered in court, calling the situation horrific. The teenager’s court-appointed guardian ad litem, Sarah O’Reilly, told the court that an older man had declined to have sex with the girl because she was too young but had subsequently arranged for other men to sexually exploit her. The court heard that the girl had contracted a number of sexually transmitted infections, had been assaulted by a man and had been using cocaine, cannabis, barbiturates, amphetamines and antidepressants. Her absences from her care placement had escalated since September, placing her at increasing risk. Sarah O’Reilly told the court that the teenager needed a special care placement to provide the intensive therapeutic support and protection she required. However, Tusla’s special care committee had decided on 13 October not to seek a High Court order for her admission to special care. The committee was due to reconsider the decision in November. The court heard that the girl’s current placement could not provide the level of safety and containment she required. Judge Fottrell described the circumstances as horrendous and said the teenager’s situation required a high level of therapeutic input, which she would not receive until she was placed in special care. He also expressed concern about the wider problem of sexual exploitation of children in State care, observing that the issue was recurring before the courts. The judge said it was appalling that children, predominantly girls, were being exploited at such a horrific level. He requested a Garda report on investigations into the alleged sexual exploitation of the teenager. The case highlights the extreme dangers facing vulnerable children in State care and the urgent need for appropriate protective and therapeutic placements.