King’s great uncle Lord Mountbatten accused of abusing boy at children’s home

King Charles III's great uncle Lord Mountbatten is being accused of allegedly abusing a boy at a children's home in the 1970s.

A man called Arthur Smyth has claimed that he was abused twice by Lord Mountbatten at the Kincora home in Belfast, Northern Ireland when he was 11 years old.

The earl died in 1979 after the IRA detonated a bomb on his boat in Mullaghmore, Co Sligo.

Smyth's lawyer Kevin Winters of KRW Law said the allegations would be taken up against state bodies responsible for Kincora home.

It's been said that a court order has been filed and will be issued in the High Court in Belfast tomorrow, Tuesday 18 October.

In a statement, Winters said: “Central to the case are our client’s allegations of abuse by the late Lord Louis Mountbatten.

"Understandably many abuse survivors for reasons of obvious sensitivity choose to remain anonymous. Arthur’s decision to reveal his identity must be set against this backdrop.

"It is borne out of anger at systemic state cover-up on abuse at these institutions. He alleges to have been abused twice as an 11-year-old by the deceased royal."

He continued: "It’s the first time that someone has stepped forward to take allegations against Lord Mountbatten into a court. That decision hasn’t been taken lightly.

“He understands only too well that it will be a deeply unpopular case with many people coming as it does within weeks of the passing of the Queen.”

Kincora home was opened in May 1958 but closed in October 1980 after multiple reports of sex abuse.

In 1981 three men were jailed for abusing 11 boys after The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry found that 39 boys were abused at the Kincora home.

While there was no evidence that security agencies were involved in the abuse at the time, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (Poni) Marie Anderson said that former residents complaining about how the police didn't investigate the sexual abuse allegations were “legitimate and justified”.

Speaking about the recent report, Mr Winters said: “The recent Poni report into Kincora despite a welcome finding on police investigative failures only scratches the surface of what really went on.”


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