Eddie Gorman, a former police officer who fought against the Church of Ireland over child abuse by priests, has died at the age of 60 after a short battle with colon cancer.
Former RUC officer Eddie Gorman passed away peacefully at his home in Coleraine on Thursday.
In the 1970s, Mr Gorman was sexually abused by the Reverend Bill Neely at Mount Merrion Church in east Belfast and at his volunteer work as a scout.
He said Mr. Neely began preying on the pastor around 1973, when he joined the church scouts, and that the pastor regularly forced Mr. Neely and another boy to perform sex acts on each other.
His landmark case against the Church of Ireland is the first of its kind, with his lawyers issuing a writ of damages against the Diocese of Down and Dromore over its handling of abuse allegations. The plan was to do so.
In December, the Church of Ireland settled Mr Gorman’s lawsuit for £100,000.
Eddie, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer the previous winter, described the settlement as a “bittersweet pill to swallow.”
His lawyer, Kevin Winters, highlighted the decades-long suppression of Eddie’s claims by both police and the church.
Mr Winters said Eddie’s courage in coming forward not only exposed the truth about Neely’s abuse within the Church of Ireland, but also dispelled the idea that historic abuse allegations in Ireland were exclusive to the Catholic Church. He emphasized that he had contributed to this.
Eddie Gorman played a key role in the Historical Clergy Church Abuse Working Group and is credited with providing moving and emotional testimony about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Neely.
According to Winters, Eddie Gorman provided leadership through powerful storytelling, encouragement and giving voice to those who had experienced similar trauma.
Eddie is survived by his partner, children Cathy and Philip, grandchildren Keegan, Rebecca and Thomas, and brother Jim.
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