As a plain ordinary citizen of Ireland, a mother, a daughter and a sister, I am disgusted to the point of total revulsion by the child abuse report just released. The monsters who preyed on these innocent young lives must be held accountable.

If a teenager breaks a window or steals from a shop he runs the risk of an Asbo or a criminal record. These men and women as it stands will never be tried, never be jailed and never have to face the vile acts they carried out every day for many long years.

As an Irish citizen I am ashamed today of where I was born, a country where we suggest a monument for the abused and freedom for the guilty.

I demand a public inquiry into the abuse and I offer my signature as No 1 on the petition to demand this.