KEITH BURKE'S HORRIFIC CRIMES IN ADERGOOLEMORE AND GALWAY REVEALED

In June 2022, the community was shaken by the release of Keith Burke, a man convicted of heinous crimes committed during his teenage years in Galway. Burke, who had been responsible for the sexual abuse of three young girls under the age of 10 between 2003 and 2007, was released from prison after serving a five-year sentence. His release took place in Dublin, where he was seen carrying his belongings in two bags as he exited Arbour Hill Prison.

When approached by the Sunday World newspaper, Burke refused to engage or answer questions. Instead, he quickly moved into the back of a white van, with his face partially obscured by a Covid mask. As he opened the vehicle's rear doors, the driver shouted, “Get in the van,” prompting Burke to hurriedly drop some of his belongings onto the street in a panic to conceal himself. The reporters were then told to “f**k off out of it,” as Burke’s actions suggested a desire to avoid further scrutiny.

The case against Burke had long been a source of controversy and public outrage. It first came to widespread attention in 2016 when it was revealed that one of his victims had been allowed to remain at the foster home even after another girl had reported her abuse to her mother. Burke was ultimately found guilty of 23 charges of rape and buggery following a trial in 2017, which ignited a national debate over the handling of the case by the Health Service Executive (HSE) and Tusla, the child and family agency.

One girl had reported the abuse in 2007, but no prosecution was initiated at that time. It was only after another victim confided in her mother in 2011 that authorities reopened the investigation. During this renewed inquiry, a third victim came forward, revealing that Burke had also raped her. Initially, Burke faced 70 counts of rape and buggery, highlighting the extent of his depravity.

The disturbing details of Burke’s abuse were further exposed through a documentary by RTÉ Investigates, in which one of the victims chose to waive her anonymity to publicly shame him. Following his six-and-a-half-year sentence, one of the victims expressed her feelings to RTÉ, stating, “I was very angry, I thought I was fine but six-and-a-half years – seven-and-a-half years with one year suspended – that’s nothing, and what he put us through.”

Burke pleaded not guilty to the charges, and all three victims were compelled to testify in court. One victim recounted her initial experience at the foster home in Dunmore, Galway, where she first arrived at the age of eight in 2005 for respite care. She described how Burke began abusing her and another girl, calling the other girl upstairs and persuading her to go to a hut outside the house. Inside, the girls were forced to strip and watch as Burke raped one of them. Over the next two years, the abuse continued in front of each other.

In 2007, the victim confided in her mother about the abuse, prompting the Garda investigation. Despite this, Burke was allowed to continue unsupervised access to the foster children until he moved out of the family home, as per the HSE’s decision. However, during his sentencing, Gardaí revealed that Burke still had unsupervised access after 2007. When the case was reopened in 2013, a third girl, who had been placed in the foster home at age five in 2000, came forward. She bravely recounted her own experiences of abuse, which began when she was six years old.

In a candid interview with RTÉ, she described a particularly horrifying incident where Burke had her on her stomach and engaged in anal sex with her, threatening her to stay still and warning that he would kill her if she moved. She expressed her longing for her father and her fear during the abuse, which she endured for years.

In 2021, one of the victims reached a High Court settlement with the HSE and Tusla, though the amount was undisclosed and the agreement was made without an admission of liability. The case highlighted systemic failures and prompted calls for a thorough investigation into how such abuse was allowed to occur and persist.

In April 2018, the HSE issued a formal apology for its role in the tragic case, acknowledging its failings in safeguarding the girls. The agency expressed regret that three young girls had been repeatedly raped while in foster care, with the perpetrator being a teenage boy, Keith Burke, from Addergoolemore, Dunmore, Co Galway. Burke, who was between 14 and 18 years old at the time, was sentenced to 7½ years in prison at the Central Criminal Court.

The court heard harrowing accounts from the victims, including “Amy,” who was fostered from six months old. She described how Burke would ask her to “do that thing for me” before raping her, often in a hut or in a field, with most assaults occurring in a small hut near the house. Another victim, Rachel Barry, who waived her anonymity, recounted her experience of being placed in the foster home for weekly respite care from the age of eight. She described how she and “Amy” were forced to strip down to their socks while Burke sexually abused them, with her witnessing Burke abusing “Amy” in front of her.

Rachel told Gardaí in 2007 about the abuse, but no prosecution followed because “Amy” denied the allegations at the time. It was only in 2011, after “Amy” confided in a teacher, that further investigations revealed she too had been abused. A third girl, “Sarah,” who was only eight when she was raped by Burke in his parents’ bedroom, also came forward. She described being ordered to wear her mother’s underwear during the assault.

Burke pleaded not guilty to all charges but later accepted guilt before sentencing. The case has prompted serious questions about the safeguarding and oversight of children in care, with advocates and legal representatives calling for a comprehensive review of the system. The HSE acknowledged the pain caused and emphasized its commitment to learning from these failures, stating that they are in discussions with Tusla to assess current safeguarding measures and ensure such tragedies are not repeated.