Revealed: Face of Order of Malta volunteer who filmed drugged teen being raped

The issue is due to be discussed by senior members of the Order of Malta at a meeting today following the sex abuse controversy that has resulted in two of its volunteers being convicted of grave offences against two boys.

The Order of Malta is due to issue a statement for the first time today after the Central Criminal Court heard on Monday that its volunteer, Jordan Murphy (22), filmed a teenager being orally raped after the man molesting the child had rendered the victim unconscious with a pain-relief drug he had earlier stolen from Order of Malta ambulance supplies.

In May 2020, Murphy’s co-accused, child rapist Scott Brown (31), was jailed for nine-and-a-half years at the same court after he pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including rape, after admitting subjecting the boys to the assaults in 2018.

Evidence was given that during the first sexual attack, Brown was wearing an Order of Malta uniform when he was filmed by Murphy carrying out the rape.

Brown was a volunteer paramedic who had been on a nursing course at the time that included a placement in a children’s hospital and was trained in EMT, which gave him authorised access to the Order of Malta drugs.

When Brown was sentenced, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said he used his membership of a voluntary paramedic organisation to target two boys he then drugged and sexually assaulted.

His accomplice, Murphy, was before the same judge this week when he admitted two charges of aiding and abetting in the sexual assault of a child on May 7 and 20, 2018.

He also pleaded guilty to production of child pornography on May 7, 2018.

Murphy was 18 and was driving the vehicle after Brown used an oxygen mask to force the teenage victim to inhale a pain-relief drug before he sexually assaulted him.

Thirteen days later, another 15-year-old was sexually assaulted by Brown in a similar manner after he too had been rendered unconscious when Brown forced him to inhale the drug.

The court heard the earlier offences came to light after gardaí confiscated Murphy’s phone during a search of his home after the second victim made a complaint that he had been sexually assaulted.

In a victim impact statement on behalf of one of the victims, his mother asked how Brown was able to steal a drug “that should have been locked away”, saying “what if he reacted badly or didn’t come around?”.

The drug in question is Penthrox, which is an analgesic used by medical practitioners, defence forces, ambulance paramedics, sports clubs and surf lifesavers for the purposes of emergency pain relief.

It is administered by attaching a vial of the liquid drug to a pipe-like device called a green whistle, which is then used to inhale the drug.

Sources said gardaí, who are continuing to investigate, have concerns about “access to these type of drugs and stock control, training and supervision”.

It is understood that after it was made aware of the arrest of the two sex offenders, the Order of Malta removed them from its ambulance corps.

It is believed the order’s national director also took immediate action, with an audit of all drugs held by the organisation’s ambulance corps and reviewed the existing system of security, accountability and usage of them.

Sources said garda vetting is being done throughout the organisation on a more intensive and regular basis every year rather than every three years.

One Order of Malta source told the Irish Independent that the two sex offenders had “abused and betrayed their position of trust” within the organisation and the case has caused huge upset to the organisation.

All of this is cold comfort for the victims and their families, with the mother of one boy pointing out that Brown had used his position of responsibility to gain access to controlled drugs in order to carry out horrendous acts of assault against a child.

In her victim impact statement, the woman praised the lead detective and his team who carried out an investigation that spanned Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare and Laois, where the offences took place.

Murphy was remanded in custody on Monday and will be sentenced on May 6.

Mr Justice McDermott said the attacks were egregious breaches of trust by the men of the boys and their families, who believed the victims were safe with them.

The judge said Brown had used his membership of the voluntary paramedic organisation to lure the victims and their family into a false sense of security.