GARDAÍ AND TUSLA have been contacted by a local authority over concerns raised about the housing of three convicted sex offenders in a homeless hostel in the south of the country, two of whom have been deemed by the courts to be at a high risk of reoffending.
It’s on foot of a letter, understood to have been signed by a group of the shelter’s residents, which alleges that they have felt threatened over the placement of the convicted sex offenders in the facility. The letter has been circulated to local representatives in the area.
The letter, seen by The Journal, accused management of the hostel of “showing complete disregard to the safety” of victims of abuse who happen to reside in the shelter.
The hostel is run by staff working for an approved housing body and placements are managed by the local authority.
Men reside in the main building and a small number of units on the grounds are allocated for women.
The letter named three residents of the hostel as being convicted sex offenders, and included references to media coverage of their convictions.
The local authority in question contacted councillors to inform them that it was treating the contents of the letter as a “matter of urgency” and was discussing its contents with Gardaí, the Probation Service and Tusla, the child protection agency.
A senior council official said in an email to councillors that the consultations with the statutory agencies would involve looking at the “obligations for each of the agencies” around the risk assessments related to the “nature of the convictions of the individuals”.
He stressed that all residents of the hostel are “subject to robust assessment prior to admission”, which takes into account “risk factors for all service users” and for staff and other agencies.
Councillors were also informed that the hostel does not accommodate any families with children.
The senior council official also told councillors that there was a “significant risk of inciting an inappropriate response causing risk” to the residents and staff of the hostel, and for that reason the local authority had decided not to comment publicly on the letter.
In the original letter, understood to have been sent by several residents of the hostel, it was alleged that several residents were “concerned for their personal safety” due to the presence of the three convicted offenders.
Separately, the letter recounted one alleged incident where one of the named sex offenders had “exploded in a violent rage” against one resident and claimed that management had not responded adequately.
When contacted, the approved housing body which runs the hostel said it does not comment on individual cases and said all queries must be directed to the local authority which manages placements for the hostel.
The Journal had asked for response to a number of questions, including one about claims that one of the named sex offenders had “exploded” in anger at a resident, and the claims that this was not handled adequately.
The local authority said it was “not appropriate” for it to issue a response to a request for a press statement about the letter.
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