M-Compass Media

01/06/2026

31/05/2026

𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐚. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬.

31/05/2026

𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐟 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝

A report by Debbie McCann in today’s Irish Mail on Sunday says a family court “expert” is under criminal investigation for alleged perjury and fraud following their involvement in a long running family law case.

According to the report, the investigation, believed to be the first of its kind, follows evidence given by the expert in a recent family court case which was later overturned on appeal. Sources familiar with the matter told the Mail on Sunday that a judge found the expert’s evidence demonstrated a “complete lack of impartiality”. The judge subsequently removed the expert from a court appointed role.

McCann reports that details of the criminal investigation emerge amid increasing scrutiny of expert witnesses operating within the family court system and growing calls for reform of how such experts are used.

The article points to the Right to Transparency campaign, led by barrister and advocate Lisa Ann Wilkinson, which recently highlighted concerns about the use of paid but unqualified experts in family courts. The campaign is calling both for an end to the in camera rule, which keeps proceedings private, and for an end to what it describes as unregulated and biased expert reporting.

The report also draws on landmark research published by Women’s Aid last year. That research argued that significant reform of the current system is required to ensure there is no bias towards the disputed concept of “parental alienation” in the assessment of domestic violence cases.

McCann notes that the Women’s Aid research found expert assessors conducting Section 32 “voice of the child” reports and Section 47 assessments, which help determine a child’s best interests in legal disputes, should possess relevant qualifications and be registered with CORU, the social work regulatory body.

The research further recommended mandatory domestic violence and abuse training for assessors. Conducted by researchers from Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork, the study examined the experiences of adult and child victims and survivors of domestic violence and abuse in guardianship, custody and access proceedings.

According to the report, the research identified “serious questions” around the qualifications and expertise of professionals appointed to conduct assessments and prepare reports for family courts.

McCann also references previous Mail on Sunday reporting involving mothers who lost custody after raising allegations of abuse by fathers. In some of those cases, the article says, mothers were accused by experts of “alienating” the father rather than having their abuse concerns accepted.

The report additionally revisits previous Mail on Sunday coverage concerning so called family court experts who are not regulated by CORU. It notes another case in which an expert involved in an Irish family law matter was sanctioned in the UK after the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy concluded the service provided fell below the standard reasonably expected of a practitioner exercising proper care and skill.

31/05/2026

We are delighted to support the launch of , a national solidarity campaign for children and families affected by the family courts. Please follow, share and walk with us. 💜

Something new is beginning.

Walk In Our Shoes is now live across our social media platforms.

This is a growing national movement of solidarity for children and families affected by the family courts.

Thank you to everyone walking beside us already. Your support means more than you know.

Please follow, share and walk with us as we build toward September 2026. 💜

30/05/2026

𝐊𝐲𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

A report in today’s Irish Independent says that, despite a recent arrest, gardaí fear they are no closer to finding missing boy Kyran Durnin or establishing exactly what happened to him.

Kyran, who has been missing since late June 2022 and is believed to have been murdered, would have turned ten last month. Investigators are continuing a large scale inquiry centred in Drogheda, but are understood to have encountered what sources describe as a wall of silence from people who may know more about his disappearance.

This week, a woman in her 50s was arrested in connection with the case and later released without charge. Gardaí are now preparing a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The report revisits major concerns about how Kyran disappeared from view for almost two years without detection. After being withdrawn from school in 2022, authorities were told he was moving to Northern Ireland, causing him to fall out of the Irish education monitoring system. Separately, it is believed a decoy child may have been presented as Kyran at Tusla related family meetings, leading child protection services to believe he was still alive.

Former children’s minister Roderic O’Gorman sought answers about how a child could effectively vanish undetected, prompting Tusla files to be sent to the National Review Panel. An independent review later concluded that what happened could not have been anticipated.

Gardaí have worked from the last verified photograph of Kyran taken in June 2022. Investigators are also understood to have analysed takeaway ordering patterns in Drogheda and Dundalk, noting that after a certain point in 2022, regular orders appeared to reduce by one meal.

The inquiry has become one of the most extensive child protection investigations in recent years, involving more than 570 investigative actions, the review of over 29,500 hours of CCTV footage, multiple device seizures, and intensive searches of homes and surrounding land in Drogheda and Dundalk. Despite these efforts, Kyran’s remains have not been found.

Neighbours in Drogheda told the paper the child has not been forgotten, describing continuing sadness, anger, and a belief that people with knowledge of what happened should come forward.

30/05/2026

𝐍𝐨 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐀𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝

A report on the first annual report of Fiosrú, the body that has replaced GSOC as the Garda watchdog, says no staff were disciplined over its handling of a complaint against former garda Paul Moody, despite criticism that the complaint was not properly investigated before Moody went on to abuse another partner.

Former garda Moody, 46, was jailed last week for coercive control and harassment of a partner between 2016 and 2017. An earlier partner had complained to the Garda watchdog in 2017, but her complaint was discontinued in 2023 without Moody ever being interviewed. During that period, Moody went on to subject another woman, Nicola Hanney, to a similar pattern of abuse.

The first complainant has criticised the watchdog’s handling of her case, saying she encountered a “wall of silence” and arguing that Ms Hanney might have been spared had her concerns been taken seriously.

Speaking at the launch of Fiosrú’s first annual report, Police Ombudsman Emily Logan said she ordered an internal review of how the case was handled to ensure it “never happens again”. However, she said she did not believe any staff member breached internal policies and confirmed that nobody involved in decision making on the case remains working within the organisation.

Ms Logan said several organisational reforms had followed the review, including the creation of a dedicated unit for domestic abuse and gender based violence complaints.

The annual report also provides insight into the scale and nature of complaints against gardaí. Fiosrú received 2,706 complaints last year, with just over half deemed admissible. The largest category concerned the quality or timeliness of Garda investigations, while roads policing was another significant source of complaints.

The watchdog sent 61 files to the Director of Public Prosecutions, with prosecutions directed in 15 cases. It also dealt with complaints concerning fi****ms, tasers and other Garda weapons use, as well as 30 investigations into serious incidents involving death or serious harm, though it stressed that such referrals do not automatically imply wrongdoing.

The most common allegations investigated involved abuse of authority, followed by alleged criminal offences and neglect of duty. Complaints were highest in the Dublin Metropolitan Region, with Kildare/Carlow, Wexford/Wicklow and Meath/Westmeath recording the highest complaint levels outside Dublin.

Ms Logan said Fiosrú’s first year reflected its expanded powers and independence under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, emphasising its role as an independent oversight body for complaints and serious incidents involving gardaí.

30/05/2026

A report by BreakingNews.ie says there were 42 children missing while under Tusla’s care on March 26th of this year, with the majority coming from the category of Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP).

Figures released to the outlet show that 27 of the 42 missing children were classified as SCSIP, while the remaining 15 children belonged to the mainstream care population.

The figures also indicate that 28 children had been missing for more than two weeks. Of these long term missing cases, 20 young people went missing during 2025, while five had gone missing in 2024.

Tusla records missing children under two categories: those from the mainstream care population and Separated Children Seeking International Protection, referring to unaccompanied minors seeking asylum or international protection.

The numbers show some fluctuation over time. On January 1st, 2026, there were 41 children missing from Tusla’s care, including 29 SCSIP children and 12 from mainstream care.

By the most recent reporting date of May 7th, the number of missing children had fallen to 30, comprising 23 children under SCSIP, with 22 of the 30 cases involving children missing for more than two weeks.

Tusla states that where a child or young person is deemed missing, it maintains active engagement with An Garda Síochána, although the Gardaí have primary responsibility for investigating a missing child’s whereabouts once a report has been made.

The report notes that, in some circumstances, a child may be recorded as missing from care after being absent from a placement for more than 15 minutes. This can occur for a variety of reasons, including missing a curfew or failing to return to a placement at an agreed time.

The figures highlight the continuing challenge of children going missing from care, particularly among Separated Children Seeking International Protection, while also illustrating the complexity of how “missing” is defined and recorded within the care system.

𝐓𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬

A report by BreakingNews.ie says there were 42 children missing while under Tusla’s care on March 26th of this year, with the majority coming from the category of Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP).

Figures released to the outlet show that 27 of the 42 missing children were classified as SCSIP, while the remaining 15 children belonged to the mainstream care population.

The figures also indicate that 28 children had been missing for more than two weeks. Of these long term missing cases, 20 young people went missing during 2025, while five had gone missing in 2024.

Tusla records missing children under two categories: those from the mainstream care population and Separated Children Seeking International Protection, referring to unaccompanied minors seeking asylum or international protection.

The numbers show some fluctuation over time. On January 1st, 2026, there were 41 children missing from Tusla’s care, including 29 SCSIP children and 12 from mainstream care.

By the most recent reporting date of May 7th, the number of missing children had fallen to 30, comprising 23 children under SCSIP, with 22 of the 30 cases involving children missing for more than two weeks.

Tusla states that where a child or young person is deemed missing, it maintains active engagement with An Garda Síochána, although the Gardaí have primary responsibility for investigating a missing child’s whereabouts once a report has been made.

The report notes that, in some circumstances, a child may be recorded as missing from care after being absent from a placement for more than 15 minutes. This can occur for a variety of reasons, including missing a curfew or failing to return to a placement at an agreed time.

The figures highlight the continuing challenge of children going missing from care, particularly among Separated Children Seeking International Protection, while also illustrating the complexity of how “missing” is defined and recorded within the care system.