“EXTENSIVE SUBMISSIONS” MADE on behalf of “Grace” to the Farrelly Commission were not included in the final report, the solicitor responsible for Grace’s legal and personal affairs has claimed.

The statement this afternoon from Marie-Claire Butler, the General Solicitor for Minors and Wards of Court, marks an extraordinary intervention by the General Solicitor.

Grace is the pseudonym given to a young woman with profound intellectual disabilities who was left in a foster home in the Waterford area for almost 20 years, despite a succession of sexual and physical abuse allegations.

Grace had a difficult birth and suffered significant trauma to her brain which left her with profound, lifelong intellectual and physical disability. 

Grace was 17 before she got a visit from a social worker, she is now 46 years old. 

The final report into the ‘Grace’ case inquiry was published this month after a six-year delay. 

The inquiry, which was established in 2017, was chaired by senior counsel Marjorie Farrelly. 

In a statement today, Butler said that a legal team appointed by her had made extensive submissions to the Commission on behalf of Grace before the final report was published.

However, Butler said it appears that these submissions have not been included or referred to in any way in the report.

Butler, as General Solicitor, is responsible for the legal, personal and financial affairs of Grace.

She was appointed to this role by the High Court.

Butler said she was making this statement in both the public interest and in the interest of Grace.

She said it was in the public interest to confirm Grace was represented at the Commission by Senior Counsel, Junior Counsel and Solicitor.

However, Butler said she could not comment further on this due to the confidential nature of the wardship.

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Findings of the Commission

The final report published last month, which runs to 2,000 pages, states that the Commission is not satisfied that the evidence was such as to establish that marks and bruises seen on Grace was a result of her having been subjected to physical abuse. 

The Commission’s report outlined that it did not establish that Grace had been subjected to sexual abuse over the years that she lived with Family X. 

However, the Commission is satisfied that there was neglect in the standard of care provided to Grace by Mrs X, in terms of her clothing and personal hygiene.

The report did not find there was neglect of Grace in terms of the provision of food and sustenance while she lived with the family.

There is a finding of serious neglect on the part of Mrs X in relation to Grace’s dental care with the report stating there was also a level of financial mismanagement or abuse when it came to Grace’s disability allowance.