GARDAI have begun an investigation into reports that some homeless boys as young as 13 have been drugged and sexually abused by men from Dublin and one or two provincial towns.
The reports were passed to gardai yesterday by staff of the Crosscare centre for homeless boys, in north Dublin.
Staff had learned from some of the boys that a number of men were routinely picking up homeless youths and sexually abusing them in Dublin.
The boys' stories were made public on radio earlier this week by Mr Paul Flynn, of Crosscare.
Mr Flynn was interviewed by officers from the Garda's Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit yesterday morning and recounted details of the alleged assaults.
Mr Flynn said yesterday that two or three of the boys living in Crosscare accommodation had spoken of being abused by men who had picked them up on the streets. The boys said they had been plied with large amounts of drugs, including ecstasy, heroin and cocaine. They said they were sexually assaulted and, in at least one case, the abuse was videotaped.
Mr Flynn said he had good reason to believe the boys and that, in some instances, the boys had passed on names of abusers.
"He said the names he had been given included "married professionals". He had passed on the information to gardai.
A senior Garda source yesterday confirmed it had received information concerning boys who were assisted at the Crosscare project and would be following this up.
The abuse allegations are not connected with an incident at the Crosscare centre last week when two youths set fire to the kitchen causing an estimated £50,000 worth of damage.
Crosscare is funded by the Eastern Health Board and has been running a residential project for homeless boys for a decade.