Amnesty International Asks Irish Police To Look For Ed Murray Abuse Allegations: Report

SEATTLE, WA - The human rights group Amnesty International has asked police in Northern Ireland to see if there are any outstanding sex abuse complaints against former Seattle mayor Ed Murray in that country. The request was made after The Belfast Telegraph uncovered recently that Murray took a trip to the United Kingdom in the 1970s with a group of children.

Murray resigned as Seattle mayor this week after a fifth man, Murray's cousin, Joseph Dwyer, alleged that Murray molested him in the 1970s while they shared a bedroom. Murray has denied all five allegations. He said that the most recent allegation was motivated by bad blood in his family.

According to the Telegraph, Murray brought 30 Catholic and Protestant kids from Belfast to Wales in 1974 for a two-week trip. At the time, Northern Ireland was in the grips of "The Troubles," a political and military struggle over control of Northern Ireland. Belfast in the 1970s was beset by severe violence and deep segregation.

"The organization which employed [Murray] in Belfast should check their records and provide full disclosure of his time here. They should also advise the [Police Service of Northern Ireland] of whether any allegations were made against him at the time," Amnesty International Northern Ireland representative Patrick Corrigan told the paper.

Image via City of Seattle