The victim of a convicted Lurgan paedophile – who for years masqueraded as a “God-fearing man” who served his community – has bravely spoken of his ordeal in an effort to encourage other victims of similar offenders to find the confidence to come forward and seek justice.
Speaking to Armagh I in a pre-recorded interview, facilitated by the PSNI ahead of his abuser’s sentencing, ‘Paul’ – not his real name – courageously detailed the impact of the abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of Patrick Lavery and his subsequent path to justice.
Paul was just 12-years-old when he was sexually abused by Lavery. He was one of six known victims – of which one was just six-years-old when abused – who were both male and female.
Paul says that abusers like Lavery often tend to offend within families and believes this can often be a reason for children to refrain from speaking out.
Explaining his rationale, Paul said: “That closeness makes it even harder for children to escape the abuse, or to be believed. One of the biggest barriers then is silence.
“In Ireland there’s a strong culture of protecting family honour and children who try to speak up are often told to keep quiet or not to bring shame on the family.
“And in big families, especially, reporting can be like you’re trying everyone – not just the abuser. With that pressure and fear, abuse can remain hidden in plain sight for years.”
Despite being abused as a pre-teen, it took Paul over 20 years to have the courage to come forward. And it was the “bravery”, he says, of another of Lavery’s victims that sparked Paul’s own report.
He added: “For a long time, I thought it was the only person and that was a big barrier to coming forward. I decided to come forward because somebody else had first.
“Then I heard this had potentially happened to other people and that was a big driver for me to then report what had happened to me. But now talking about it, it’s not just about me. It’s about being a voice for other victims and I wish I could say I was the first person to come forward, but like I said, it was a brave, young girl, who paved the way for the rest of us.
“I’ll always acknowledge her courage for doing that. I guess, now, I want to show that it’s possible to be believed and push for change.”
Lavery’s offences are believed to have occurred between 1999 and 2009. On Monday, February 5, 2024 he was interviewed and arrested for his offences and was subsequently charged with six counts of gross indecency with a child, five counts of indecent assault on a female and one count of attempted rape.
Despite constantly denying all the allegations, he was found guilty June 1 and was remanded into custody. His sentencing took place today, September 4 at Craigavon Crown Court.
Hearing the guilty verdict most definitely provided a sense justice for Paul… though he understands the complexities in making that statement.
“There are two things really,” he said, when speaking about justice. “It’s great that we get it but it can never change the past and what happened but it does help to acknowledge the harm, the lies and the long-term damage.
“It stands to those of us who’ve had to live with the consequences and part of the reason I came forward is because of the worry that if you don’t do anything, you’re potentially leaving someone who’s able to commit more crime, to abuse more children.”
Ahead of Lavery’s sentencing, Paul said he would “hope for a long sentence” but adds that “no matter what, he has been found now and his chances of being able to do this again are greatly reduced”.
Encouraging others who have suffered similar abuse to come forward, he said: “It’s never too late to speak up about things that have happened in the past – trauma or abuse – and to allow yourself to begin healing from that.
“If my experience helps even just one person feel less alone or more able to reach out for support then something good can potentially come out of something that’s so terrible.
“When you do decide to come forward it is a big thing and to go through the police process was incredibly difficult.
“It brought up a lot of trauma, it wasn’t easy. The PSNI officers I dealt with – Chris [Detective Inspector Fleming] and his team – with victim support, witness support, they were amazing and the court services too. They treated me with respect and believed me and it made all the difference in being able to continue with this process.”
Paul acknowledges how painful the process has been but sees recognition as part of recovery. He also values the move from seeing himself as a victim to now recognising himself as a survivor.
When asked if police had any reason to suspect there may be more victims of Lavery’s abuse, Detective Inspector Chris Fleming said: “We don’t know that, but with the victims – like Paul and the others coming forward – it does put it into the public eye and it does present an opportunity for for any other victims that have been fearful to come forward to do so.
“And we hope that with the positive criminal justice outcome that we’ve got that it would inspire some confidence that if you are a victim of this offender – or any other offenders – that you would put your faith in and us as a service to investigate it.”
Regarding Lavery’s denial of his crimes, Paul said it has been “incredibly hurtful” and added, “I’m just baffled that in the face of all the evidence, he still could deny it… and some of his family members still deny it.
“That’s all to do with him as a person. He’s highly manipulative. He hid in plain sight to the outside world. He was a God-fearing man. Someone who’s seen as respectable and caring, and even looked after the elderly, and that public image gave him cover.
“Nobody wanted to believe someone with that status could be abusive and he used that reputation as protection, knowing it made it harder for children to be believed if they spoke out against him and that’s how he was able to go unnoticed for so long.”
