I did it for my son, says campaigner ahead of Muckamore abuse report

I did it for my son, says campaigner ahead of Muckamore abuse report

2 hours ago

Marie-Louise ConnollyHealth correspondent, BBC News NI

The long-awaited final report into the abuse of vulnerable adults at Muckamore Abbey Hospital is due to be published on Thursday.

Glynn Brown, who was instrumental in getting the police to investigate initial allegations of abuse which involved his son, said it had been a "long and torturous road" spanning several years.

The public inquiry is expected to reveal and confirm the extent of the mistreatment of patients which included bruising, broken bones, verbal harassment and goading which was captured on CCTV.

The extent of the abuse has led the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to call this the biggest criminal adult safeguarding case of its kind in the UK.

At first it was thought the CCTV cameras were switched off but after Brown pursued the matter it emerged the cameras were in fact turned on and captured hours of abuse.

"I did it for my son," he said. "I would like to think when I am dead the system will be radically better. That's all I can hope for."

Brown's son, Aaron, was among those whose physical abuse was captured on CCTV.

"It's been a decade of legal challenges left right and centre, we are finally going to get some sort of report, but sadly we didn't get the public inquiry we asked for," he said.

Although the inquiry was public, some families said they were dissatisfied with it as it did not review all patient files.

There were also times when they said families were sidelined, or felt ignored.

The inquiry also faced a number of legal challenges from families over issues such as its refusal to call health ministers and some of the hearings being held in private.

Brown said all of this had been traumatic for Aaron, as the more he unpicks the story with his son the worse it gets.

A specialist team including police officers trawled through more than 300,000 hours of CCTV footage from the hospital as part of the investigation.

BBC News NI understands that it captures incidents of patients being hit, thrown into a seclusion room and having their personal hygiene ignored.

After almost three years of evidence the public inquiry finished in March 2025.

It sat for 120 days and heard oral evidence from 181 witnesses and more than 300 statements of witnesses.

The report is about 700 pages long and is expected to make dozens of recommendations covering safeguarding, duty of candour, and how Northern Ireland's cares for vulnerable adults.

The PSNI said it had reported 124 people to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).

The PPS have to date directed prosecution for 58 people who are at various stages in the judicial process.

Of those, three people have been prosecuted, two cautioned and one case dismissed.

Out of the 192 staff at Muckamore and who were investigated by the Belfast Health Trust, 19 have been dismissed, nine have received final warnings, 11 formal warning, one has received a verbal warning with 37 others being recommended for disciplinary action.