Mairia Cahill reacts furiously to claims by Gerry Adams that she was abused by her uncle

'The vitriol directed against Mairia Cahill after she withdrew her complaints against a suspected IRA man she accuses of raping her, was simply off the scale'

Mairia Cahill in Belfast with a copy of the report into how her sex abuse case was dealt with by the PPS.

thumbnail: 'The vitriol directed against Mairia Cahill after she withdrew her complaints against a suspected IRA man she accuses of raping her, was simply off the scale'
thumbnail: Mairia Cahill in Belfast with a copy of the report into how her sex abuse case was dealt with by the PPS.
Philip Ryan

IRA sex abuse victim Mairia Cahill has reacted furiously to claims made by Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams that she was abused by her uncle.

Ms Cahill said her abuser Martin Morris was not a blood relation, but rather an uncle through marriage, and Mr Adams comments could now result in defamation cases from her 12 uncles.

“Gerry Adams has sought once again to attack my credibility and using my sex abuse to do so and that is despicable,” Ms Cahill told the independent.ie.

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Mairia Cahill

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams

“One day after the release of a report by a world renowned human rights lawyer and endorsed by the Director of Public Prosecution in the North which clearly stated that I was a reliable and credible witness, while Gerry Adam says he accepts the findings he has once again tried to erroneously muddy the water by by attack my credibility.

“His claim on the national broadcaster that I was attacked by one my uncles leaves him wide to open to legal actions from any of my relation who feel they could be wrongly identified as a result,” Mr Adams

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During a radio interview Mr Adams mentioned several times that Ms Cahill was abused by her uncle.

Later when asked by independent.ie if he would like to offer an apology to Ms Cahill for the hurt he has caused her, Mr Adams raised questions over why this Independent Newspapers had not published the fact she was abused by her uncle.

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“I have huge sympathy for victims of abuse. Incidentally, the man who abused her was her uncle, that doesn't make it any easier but I have yet to read that in your newspaper,” Mr Adams said.

Pushed several times on what he meant by this, Mr Adams replied: “Because it is a fact most abuse happens in families. It is a fact that this is not unique any one section of communities. It affects all classes and all sectors of society. I have huge sympathy for victims of abuse.”

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