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A High Court judge will decide early next year whether the decades-old “historical sexual assault claim” brought by five former wards of the St. Dominic’s Children’s Home can proceed.

Justice Carol Gobin set timelines on November 24 for submissions on the limitation issue, which will determine whether the lawsuit may continue.

The five former wards, now adult men, say they suffered years of physical and sexual abuse at the home between 1983 and 2006. They argue they could not file suit earlier because they were minors at the time and later struggled with psychological conditions that prevented them from recognising the abuse or pursuing legal action. They say their delayed awareness was triggered by the 1997 Sabga Report, the 2022 Jones Report and recent psychiatric evaluations.