Notorious Kincora abuse home demolished

Kincora Boys' Home in east Belfast, where dozens of boys were abused over three decades, has been demolished.

At least 29 boys were abused at the site on the Newtownards Road from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Plans to build a number of apartments on the site, which is now owned by Hagan Homes, have been approved.

Gary Hoy, a former resident, said while he was glad the building was coming down, it wouldn't change the fact his life had been ruined.

William McGrath, Raymond Semple and Joseph Mains, who were senior care staff at Kincora, were jailed in 1981 for abusing 11 boys.

"I'm just glad it's knocked down, it should have been knocked down years ago," Mr Hoy said.

"But whether it's knocked down or it's standing, the thoughts of the things that happened in there, they'll never go away.

Gary Hoy said his health had suffered because of the memory of what happened at Kincora

Mr Hoy said he thinks of what happened at Kincora when he goes to bed and wakes in the morning.

"It'll always be there," he explained. "I'm 61 now, my life ruined over that place.

"I've taken two heart attacks in the last three years over all the stress of this place.

"To me it'll always be there, whether they build flats, put in a memorial or whatever, it'll always be there."

The home was opened in 1958 and closed in 1980 before later being used for office space.

Plans to build a number of apartments on the site were approved earlier this year

On 20 January 2017, the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry concluded the abuse that took place at Kincora was limited to the actions of the three staff members and did not take place with the collusion of the state or intelligence services.

At the scene, Kevin Sharkey, BBC News NI

The building's demolition will remove the symbol of the evil, but sadly some of the victims did not live to see this day.

Every time anybody who is familiar with what happened here pass it, they look at the building and think of the abuse and the wrong and hurt and trauma that was caused to so many.

The victims, their relatives, but also the wider community have long since wanted this removed because it has been a blight on the landscape of this community in east Belfast.

The building may be no more, but the ghosts of this place will last forever.

However, in September of this year complaints made about the failure of police to investigate allegations of sexual abuse at the home were found to be "legitimate and justified" by the Police Ombudsman.

East Belfast MP Gavin Robinson said Kincora and the horrors which occurred there had stained the local community for decades.

"Victims see the building as a visual reminder of their experience, often on a daily basis," he said.

"I am thankful that finally, it will be razed to the ground."

Gavin Robinson, the MP for the area, said he was thankful the building is being razed to the ground

Chris Moore, author of the book The Kincora Scandal: Political Cover-up, said for former residents just going past the building was a constant reminder of the suffering and pain that they endured there.

"The people who were there were horrified when they went past it," he added.

"It's just a dreadful place where dreadful things happened to young men.

"Thankfully after all these years it's being removed, it's like just removing a carbuncle from the landscape."

Mr Moore said he was able to walk through the building while writing his book and see the places survivors had told him they were attacked.

"I felt very uncomfortable being in there, it was like living with ghosts while you were walking around, you were breathing in the air where ghosts of horrible deeds in the past had taken residency," he said.

"It just wasn't a comfortable experience at all."