Creator and first editor of 2000AD, champion of girls' and political comics. Spacewarp, Requiem Vampire Knight, Marshal Law, Accident Man, Nemesis, Charley's War and more. Get in touch: patmillswriter (@) gmail.com. Go to millsverse.com for comics stuff.
Scottish prosecutors have begun extradition proceedings against a former monk accused of abusing boys at a residential school over 50 years ago.
Alleged victims who accused the De La Salle monk of a catalogue of abuse were told the former teacher had died but new information revealed he had, in fact, spent years teaching in Canada.
Moves are under way to bring the man, now in his 80s, to Scotland to face abuse allegations. A petition warrant has been raised in Scotland and passed to the Crown Office’s international unit which will attempt to begin extradition proceedings in Canada.
Encouraging words from Doogster 61, a St Ninian’s survivor:
I also attended a residential school in Scotland, andI am happy to say my litigation against Brother Benedict, St Ninians Gartmore is now at the stage of financial negotiations with their insurers. I will keep you informed of the eventual outcome.
I believe one of your followers, Tam B. requested to talk to me in person.You can pass my email onto him. If I can be of any assistance to him, it would be my pleasure Pat.
I am fully aware of the barriers and pitfalls you encounter when you are trying to obtain information and the mislaid, destroyed, fire damaged, perished,disappeared, dissolved, evanesced, evaporated, disintegrated, dissipated, discarded, discontinued, mice eaten, moth attacked, removed with demolition companies, sent to the school board, sent to the Archdiocese of Glasgow, sent to the Vatican, sent to the Home Office, it,s in the National Archive Libraries, the social work sevices have them, the DLS have them, its data protection, no access for 75 years, official secrets act, redacted, redacted, redacted etc. etc!
Think you get my drift Pat.
So yes after many many years of profound digging, I eventually found some of the documents that were relevant to pursue my litigation. The conviction of Michael Murphy (Brother Benedict) has undoubtedly assisted in my pursuit.
Therefore if I can be of any assistance to my fellow survivors I will be only to willing and glad to help. This includes all of your followers.
I know how frustrating and upsetting this will cause to some people who encounter the shield of covercy. Yes its demanding and extremely exhausting, but the satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment is truly consoling to compliment yourself in not taking no for an answer! Well done you!
I will attempt to find every piece of information that will provide the laws to bring these perpetrators to justice.
So i say to your readers and followers Pat, dont cede in your persistence for justice and if i can, -you can. Keep your faith and keep fighting until you can fight no more. Say to yourselves, “i will never be beaten again. Ever!”
My sincere thoughts to all my fellow survivors, and I wish you every success in our quest!
My sincere empathy to the friends and families who have sadly passed and didnt get the opportunity to witness the emergence of disbelieved truth, justice, and punishment these bastards truly have self merited.
Brother Thadeus has been described before. IIRC he was the DLS headmaster who covered up the torture of a child.
Hi doogster I like yourself I was in St Ninnians Gartmore and was abused by Bootsie brother Thadieus Makenna and Mr Shine. I’ve given my statement to Police Scotland and also the child abuse inquiry. I will be attending the inquiry at the end of the year or at the start of the following year. I’m pleased to say that the brothers from hell will be next on the inquiry list. I have been trying for years to get legal aid but its always been refused someone on the board believes that the Da la salle brothers have nothing to do with the abuse. So my day will come when I can give my evidence. Lady Smith must make these people own up to what they have done to children like me and yourself. I would be hoping to speak to you in person.
Although focussing on Scotland, the information below is important for all Survivors of the De La Salles everywhere.
I’ve had a reply from the SCOE, the Catholic Safeguarding Agency that deals with the De La Salles. It’s detailed in full below, but the element I’m going to focus on in this post is the Scottish Redress Scheme organised by the Scottish government to help Survivors, even though the sums on offer as compensation are low. But Survivors discovered that the De La Salles would not even sign up to this scheme.
However, here’s what the Rev Des Bill of the SCOE had to say :
In respect of the statement about the Scottish redress scheme, my understanding is that DLS are wishing to engage with this process and are still in discussion with the Scottish Government, so this is still ongoing.
In response, Survivor Rocky checked and here’s his informed reply:
Regarding the DLS and Redress Scotlands contributors list and my options. The DLS lied to you Pat!! The closing date for organisations to become contributors has expired and the DLS said no!!. Therefore my civil options will Not be affected if i sign the waiver and, as reluctant as i am, accept the Redress. The simple truth is that they said No to Redress. To contribute, you have to accept Liability and Apologise as part of the scheme. They can`t do that because it will leave them open to liability in England and everywhere else in the world.
I will pass on this information to the SCOE and request they discuss this with the De La Salles and enlighten us all and Rocky in particular. The DLS claiming they’re still engaged when the matter is firmly closed requires a manipulative use of words more commonly known as ‘smoke and mirrors’. It’s not the first time the DLS have used this technique as related previously on this site. Even their terse ‘Public’ Apology, drafted by a lawyer, was nothing of the kind. It would need to be in a national newspaper to reach any kind of audience of Survivors, as I’ve said previously. And specific apologies are also required.
Rocky also expanded on exactly why the DLS said no. As follows:
Reading the rules for Redress it seems that the particular paragraph which caused them to refuse point blank to participate in the scheme or to contribute in any way towards the scheme, was the Acknowledgement.
This requires an apology, as well as financial contributions to the Scheme and “The Brotherhood of the Order of De La Salle” can never do that because it opens them up in England to liability. A precedent would be set. They are in a world of hurt!! They know now that the floodgates have opened, because of their arrogance and refusal to accept that they!! not anyone else!! abuse us!!. This most corrupt of Catholic Orders wants the taxpayer to pay for their crimes whilst they shelter in court rooms and ironically… use the law and fancy barristers to delay, obstruct for years until the victims give up or die. Every solicitor and barrister in the UK will be launching legal claims against this odious Order on behalf of thousands of victims.
Also, the SCOE themselves do not come out of this well, either. They have passed on this brief response from the DLS without, in my opinion, doing due diligence as to its authenticity, clarity, or real and full meaning. Safeguarding Survivors should be their priority, not the DLS. Thus far, it’s clearly the other way around. Here’s how Rocky asked me to put it to the SCOE:
The SCOE know full well that the DLS had a chance to join Redress but refused!, without any reason given. You cannot join Redress retrospectively and to say its my “Understanding” that they are still engaged in talks that finished 2 months ago, is a monster fib. They point blank refused to join the scheme and English taxpayers like myself who subsidize Scotland billions every year, will end up paying for DLS abuse in Scotland. The Redress scheme is expected to cost 300 million and DLS the main abuser of children in the world will contribute nothing and will not apologise. Ask SCOE for an answer, Pat, because passing on lies is equally as bad to a Survivor and they should be ashamed. They should find out the truth about Redress and stop lying to us all.
If the De La Salles have lied – or been ‘economical with the truth’, or ‘manipulative with the truth’ through a calculated, misleading choice of words – and if the SCOE have adopted a partisan position to defend them, then this is most serious. The SCOE are meant to be safeguarding Survivors, but it seems protecting a powerful and wealthy organisation comes first. If this proves to be the case, as it did previously with the ‘Public’ apology, it cannot be ignored.
There is a great deal at stake here and this matter clearly needs the attention of the mainstream media both in Scotland and the UK.
Finally, to be abused by the De La Salles as children is bad enough; to be abused by them all over again as adults is beyond words. Lying/being ‘economical with the truth’/or ‘manipulating the truth’ was a proven part of DLS abusers’ armoury when we were kids, and it seems they are still at it today.
I’ll be sure to post the SCOE Reverend Des Bill’s response.
EMAIL FROM THE SCOE
(A St Jo’s Survivor tried Safe Spaces mentioned below and he tells me he was not impressed and has not continued with them)
Dear Pat,
I acknowledge receipt of your emails of the 6thand 8th January.
I will forward the emails and statements contained within them to Operation Hydrant for their attention.
I would encourage any person who is a victim off abuse, or witness to it, to make direct contact with the police.
If any person believes they have not had an appropriate outcome to any previous disclosure of abuse that they have made, then they should consider speaking to the police or seek their own legal advice to assist them.
As stated previously SCOE are awaiting the conclusion of any related police investigation and recommendations made to them before considering what additional actions may be considered in respect of DLS.
As you are aware DLS have made an apology about the abuse suffered by any person who attended any of their schools and the statement is published on their website.
I would encourage any victim to consider seeking support through ‘Safe Spaces’; the organisation set up to help people who are victims of abuse within any church setting, within the Catholic Church in England and Wales and Church of England to assist them in finding a way forward in addressing the issues they face. https://www.safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk
In respect of the statement about the Scottish redress scheme, my understanding is that DLS are wishing to engage with this process and are still in discussion with the Scottish Government, so this is still ongoing.
I would suggest any person alleging abuse in a Scottish setting to report this to the police in Scotland and seek their own legal advice.
Finally, I can confirm Barry Hudd is not a religious brother.
In preparation for the independent Investigator, I’ve previously summarised the evidence on this blog concerning Brothers James, Kevin and Solomon. Also, school chaplain Father Jolly and the Knights of St Columba and their close links to the DLS.
But it shouldn’t be assumed that the abuse is limited to these rotten apples.
There were many more DLS abusers noted on this blog and elsewhere.
My concern – and I believe the concern of others – is that there could be a damage limitation exercise to just deal with those criminals as ‘scapegoats’ in Ipswich alone and then claim the matter is dealt with.
That won’t work.
It’s far more wide-ranging and systemic. And if there is a damage limitation exercise, it will only mean ANOTHER investigation LATER because I’m not giving up until the whole rotten orchard is exposed.
Another damage limitation technique is to claim that DLS corporal punishment was ‘normal’ for the times. That won’t work either. It was abnormal and any attempt to spin it away will result in an avalanche of anger from Survivors. See for example, this post with Old Boys’ views about corporal punishment:
I realize the investigation has to be realistic and set some boundaries. Nevertheless, the DLS is a multi-million pound organization and owes it to survivors to look into these matters properly and comprehensively.
It’s also worth noting that the four abusers detailed on this blog were clumsy criminals. They made mistakes and that’s why they’ve been discovered.
Brother James was a psychopath; he couldn’t control his behaviour. Father Jolly forgot to retrieve the tape recorder he left in the confessional. Brother Solomon and Brother Kevin were such insatiable paedophiles, abusing countless children, and they could not suppress their criminal lust.
(I have seen evidence that Kevin and Solomon were still in close contact in the 1990s after they had both left the DLS when Solomon was clearly as predatory as ever.)
By comparison, most paedophiles are smarter and better at hiding their tracks. See the section on DLS Lay teachers.
GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITS OF DLS SYSTEMIC ABUSE
It would be wrong to investigate Ipswich DLS alone. Two other DLS schools at least are intimately connected with St J’s Ipswich.
As previous evidence has indicated, London Beulah Hill DLS was probably far worse that St J’s. Ipswich.
St Peter’s Bournemouth DLS was also a major concern – not least because it was the start of an escape route for abuser Brothers to flee to France if the police were closing in on them.
London was also where the private hospital was located where DLS victims were treated. Did these young victims, under the aegis of the Knights of St Columba, come from DLS schools all over the country?
It should be possible for an investigator to discover by looking at the hospital records.
So where to draw the line? At just those three schools? An ex De La Salle Brother had this to say:
‘maybe it would have been better if the (DLS) schools in London, Portsmouth, Ipswich Bournemouth, Jersey, Liverpool, St Helen’s, Manchester had never been built.’
In my opinion, ALL DLS schools should be investigated in order to confirm or reject that systemic abuse took place across the whole of the UK and not limited to just Southern England.
Most of the Old Boys at other DLS schools are unaware of this site, but that is changing and more evidence and testimonies are likely to be forthcoming.
These are just some of the examples I’m aware of:
OTHER DLS SCHOOLS
1)London DLS Blackheath. One survivor had previously complained to the DLS at Oxford about inappropriate violence at the school and was fobbed off by the DLS brother in charge.
I believe this survivor has now passed his testimony to SCOE : Catholic Safeguarding responsible for religious organizations. This is separate to DLS Safeguarding. (I will look at the confusing nature of these twin overlapping safeguarding organizations in my next post)
This is a testimony from the 1980s: ‘ i too went to a De La Salle school in Liverpool although it was not a boarding school there were Brothers, of worst sort you could imagine. They were brutal sadistic pedophiles in which one of them was convicted twice of sexual assault named brother Paul.’
3) St Gilberts DLS school. A Survivor of this school has informed me when DLS teachers served their sentences for crimes they committed there, they were then sent to another DLS school in Scotland. If correct, this is evidence of systemic abuse.
4) St Ninian’s. See next section item 3 below.
OTHER DE LA SALLE BROTHERS AS SYSTEMIC ABUSERS – THE EVIDENCE
1. Brother Elwin was the headmaster at St J’s Ipswich, mid 1960s, when there was a major cover-up of Brother J’s psychotic sexual violence. As the account describes,’ there was Brother Elwin naked on his bed with a naked kid of only about 12 sitting on his stomach.’ https://wordpress.com/post/patmills.wordpress.com/1029
This testimony has been on my site since March 2020! So the DLS and SCOE will be aware of it. Yet no one has been in touch to respond or ask to contact the Survivor. This is a DLS headmaster.
Ignoring this account alone for over a year amounts to systemic abuse by the DLS today.
Apart from the account above, Brother Hugh is also referenced here:
‘Brother Hugh. Actually I am slightly worried that I might be misremembering events because I have seen no reference to him as an abuser but when I was in the 3rd or 4th form he was in charge of our dormitory, and at night regularly positioned himself in a chair next to one particular bed after lights out and abused it’s occupant. One of the boys with a quick wit came up with a re-working of the tune to Dad’s Army which parodied this activity. Was Brother Hugh’s surname Leyland?’
2.Brother Leo. Headmaster St J’s Ipswich. 1960s. Three testimonies on my site of his sexual abuse. He was known as a ‘nocturnal groper’. Here’s the testimony by DN in the comments section of my post ‘In the La Sallian Tradition 3’:
‘Normally we would fall asleep quickly being 13 or 14 but that night I stayed awake watching Bro.Leo (headmaster at the time) who opened the door to leave but then closed it and stayed still in the corner until he thought we were asleep. I assumed he would walk to the other boy’s bed but instead he came to mine and molested me. Only when I rolled over a couple of times did he stop. The next day I went with the other boy to father Jolly and told him the story. He told us to stay at his house while he went on his own to the Headmaster. Later he came back to say the HM denied it but for our information he was leaving at the end of the term for other reasons!! Father Jolly then took us to the HM’s study and we had to relate the story to his face. He denied it and we left. That was the last I heard of the matter.’’
Once again, Father Jolly is centre-stage in these DLS systemic abuse cover-ups.
3. Joe Homan when he was a DLS Brother at Oakhill. Late 50s approx.There are several accounts of his extreme violence to children on this site. I also have a testimony of Homan’s serious sexual assault on a pupil at Oak Hill. I can facilitate that Survivor contacting an Investigator.
This interview below relates to Homan after he left the order:
Nevertheless it strengthens the case that Homan should be investigated for his conduct when he was a De La Salle Brother. It confirms his extreme violence.
4) St Ninians DLS. Brother Thadeus & Brother Benedict.
The DLS headmaster brother Thadeus ‘set up an elaborate scheme where another boy on promise of release said he did it.’ So Brother Benedict putting a child’s hand in a vice was blamed on another child.
Despite the very recent conviction of Brother Benedict, the systemic abuse involving the headmaster Brother Thadeus does not appear to be addressed and there is no personal apology to the Survivor. Why not?
This all looks to me like a continuation of systemic abuse by the DLS today.
5) This is the view of an ex De La Salle brother about abusers in his order:
‘In my opinion, the biggest disgrace is the cover up with regard to the individuals (albeit a minority) of abusers. Men like this tend to be quite cunning and the rest of us in the rank and file did not know what was going on, beyond a sense of unease, which we were too reticent to share with outside agencies or with the ecclesial authorities at higher levels.’
When systemic abuse is present, it makes reporting abuse difficult and that is what happened here. Everyone kept quiet. It’s hardly surprising when DLS headmasters like Brothers Leo, Thadeus and Elwin (see above) are sexually abusing children and/or are part of an elaborate criminal cover-up.
LAY TEACHER ABUSERS HIRED BY DE LA SALLES – THE EVIDENCE
Lay teachers were hired by the DLS and are thus their responsibility. This is confirmed by the DLS acknowledging they are currently looking into lay teacher Mike Mercado.
DLS lay teachers therefore need investigating as well as DLS brothers. Especially the cover-ups,
At least as many abusive DLS lay teachers have been mentioned on this site as DLS brothers. But – generally – they are mentioned briefly in passing and there is less secondary confirmation from Old Boys. Based on my own experiences with DLS lay teachers in the 1960s, I’d say this is because lay teachers were so much better at covering their tracks than abusive DLS monks.
This is not a comprehensive over-view of lay teacher abusers below.
If I’ve missed anyone important, do say and I will add them. Two lay DLS teachers are excluded from the names below for legal reasons.
1)
ABUSIVE DLS LAY TEACHERS IN THE 1960s.
I’m still collecting evidence on two other abusive DLS lay teachers in this period. I’ve spent a fortune on therapy over the years and the biggest percentage is processing my encounters with these two individuals, more so than Brother James and Father Jolly. It’s still a work in progress but what I can say just now is my encounters with these two teachers is once again evidence of DLS systemic abuse.
2)
ABUSIVE DLS LAY TEACHERS IN THE 1970S.
I understand from an Old Boy there are abuse issues relating to at least one lay teacher from this era. This, too, is a work in progress for the Survivor.
There’s also this testimony from another Old Boy:
‘I was at St Joe’s for many years. I remember them , Bros Cecil, James, Hugh, Damien, Owen, Gerard, Soloman, Denis Robert, Gregory, Benet, Cuthman, Peter, Terrence and others. They seemed all to have some sort of attitude or psychological problem or were perverts. Having spoken to others over the years about this it does seem that all the Del a Salle Schools and Catholic Schools were all the same. I am quite sure all the stories are pretty much true. The film Catholic Boys captures it pretty well. I’m in contact with a number of people from the 60s and early 70s from St Joe’s, I think some have tried to give details to the police. Interestingly and rather oddly one of the number listed above is still around and his partner (female) works for the police in relation to child abuse. Talk about poacher turned game-keeper! He waxes lyrical now about abuse saying ‘it only takes good men to do nothing etc etc’. He knew what was going on when he was at St Joe’s and did nothing. The pious hypocrite.’
3)
ABUSIVE DLS LAY TEACHERS IN THE 1980s.
(Mercado has been covered previously.)
Two abusive PE staff and another lay teacher were mentioned to me in a recent email from an Old Boy. He has contacted Ipswich police.
There is another testimony regarding a further lay teacher:
TONY HARDY. Lay teacher St J’s Ipswich. Era 1986 – 1990. Sexual and physical violence. One testimony in comments – see: CS commented on ROLL OF DISHONOUR:
I attended St Joseph’s College from 86 – 90. I was at the school when David Hennesy became headmaster, he was a very relaxed guy and I liked him a lot. After our GCSE’s a few of us got our ears pierced – stupid, but hey we were crazy teenagers. We were in Birkfield house, Tony Hardy was the housemaster. He was a well known drinker and had a ferocious temper. After being told to take our ear rings out which we ignored as we were so close to school holidays we thought nothing more of it. One night Hardy had been out at a BBQ and came back after lights out, he pulled me and the other lads who had pierced their ears out of bed and made us stand in the corners of his living room. We were made to stand there when he went on a screaming rampage around the house. He came back to his quarters where we were all waiting frankly sh*tting ourselves. One by one he called each of the lads into his bedroom where he gave them all slippers. He then made me stand in a cupboard which he locked me in and then again went on another rampage around the house, when he came back hen made me stand in his bedroom drop my pyjama bottoms and then took a cat-o-nine tails out of his draw. He lashed me about 10 – 12 times with it till I was bleeding. The next morning when in the showers the other lads saw the state of what had happened to me and they took me to see Mr Hennesy, when we explained what happened he sent us to his cottage on the grounds and Hardy was got rid of that day. My parents were dealt with by the school’s solicitors and unbelievably agreed that as long as he never taught there again, wouldn’t involve the Police.
This is a cover-up by the DLS in the late 80s.
Harding may still be alive. If so, that makes this testimony especially important.
I will now look at what the next step is on DLS abuse investigation. How does the investigation proceed? How can we Survivors help? Who do we get in touch with? My next post.
I’m always a little wary of being optimistic where bringing Catholic child abusers to justice is concerned. Even so, I think this is encouraging news and is certainly a big step forward, following the DLS not-so-public public apology.
Catholic Safeguarding have written back to me. As I’ve previously related, the allegations on this site are with Hydrant and Safeguarding confirmed this is the case.
But the key NEW information they gave me is as follows:
Firstly, they informed me:
“De La Salle have now written to the police asking them to investigate all allegations and concerns made about the order and any members of it.”
I have to say I read this sentence several times before fully absorbing it. I really couldn’t believe it. This, surely, is progress, although I know we’re not at the end of the road yet.
Catholic Safeguarding also responded to my raising concerns about the Scottish DLS St Ninian’s case.
Here’s what they had to say:
“Thank you for bringing the latest court case to my attention, the concerns raised will be placed before DLS and communicated to Hydrant and I will bring it to the attention of the SCOE Commission at our next meeting.
In respect of SCOE, although the victim testimony is powerful, safeguarding matters pertaining to Scotland are not under our remit for any member religious orders within SCOE, only those pertaining to England and Wales, so this case or others that may exist, outside of England and Wales, are not considered by us.
Safeguarding matters in Scotland are overseen by the Scottish Catholic Safeguarding Service.”
So special thanks to the two survivors of St Ninians who wrote and told me what happened to them. You are super stars!
I would hope there will be some traction as the English Safeguarding and the DLS and Hydrant presumably bring the Scottish Safeguarding into the loop. If you don’t hear anything in a couple of months, do let me know.
Thanks also to all the survivors of all the De La Salles schools for writing into this site with your testimonies. Hey – we finally got somewhere!
I think there is cause for a little cautious celebration all round.
A Survivor’s account below. Michael Murphy is Brother Benedict who received 7 years imprisonment on top of his previous sentences.
What is especially concerning is the actions of the headmaster Brother Thadeus described below.
Thadeus ‘set up an elaborate scheme where another boy on promise of release said he did it. ‘
So Brother Benedict putting a child’s hand in a vice was blamed on another child.
That kind of devious and corrupt thinking is typical of the De La Salles in recent historical times as the posts on this blog confirm and I know from my own experience.
Have they changed and when? No one has any way of knowing for sure. The De La Salles just tell us repeatedly how honorable they are today, praising themselves as spiritual icons, and we are meant to believe they are now all holy men, unlike their predecessors.
That requires an act of faith which must be difficult even for Catholics.
Their recent public apology which was not public and was barely an apology is not a good sign. Putting it up on their website only after I had raised the issue seems devious to me.
The criminal behaviour described below was not restricted to one school. St Joseph’s College Ipswich had its own forms of De La Salle evil as recorded on this blog
It must cost everyone concerned – the De La Salles, the Suits who still protect them, Catholic Safeguarding and parents who still send their children to DLS schools – huge cognitive dissonance to believe that none of this is relevant to the De La Salles today.
All four are living in denial and there is a price they will pay for this spiritually and psychologically.
The Survivor is still waiting for an apology.
The De La Salles have not commented on the St Ninian’s verdict.
Again, that puts them in a very poor light.
Here is this Survivor’s testimony:
Dear Mr Mills,
I am a survivor of abuse by both the DLS brothers and also the Salesians of St John Bosco order. You can refer to me as “Rocky1954” if you want to relay my story. I was the lead witness in the trial of Michael Murphy. A bit of background. I was born in Whitburn West Lothian Scotland and attended the local Catholic school. I persistantly truanted and was sent to St Ninians @ the age of 9. this was Sept 1963. Benedict raped me. He put my hand in a vice and crushed my little finger. Infection set in and i was given primitive medical care at the school and only after my whole arm swelled up and turned blue was a doctor called. He was very angry at the Matron an alchoholic and took me in his car to Stirling. Upon arrival at Stirling Royal Infirmary i was diagnosed with gangrene and for 4 days i was in and out of coma, while they were debating amputating my arm. A surgeon came from London. 3 more days on a new antibiotic and i responded to it. My finger was gone.!! 2/3 amputated. I was learning Piano and was grade 2. After the operation i had no coordination in my left hand and no feeling on one side of my elbow. My mum and dad didnt know i had been in hospital till i came home on leave.
The headmaster Bro Thadeus set up an elaborate scheme where another boy on promise of release said he did it. Benedict had nothing to do with it and they were believed.
I had no idea about previous trials in Scotland, ive lived in Leeds over 50 years and im afraid Scottish news is not freely read in England. I travelled to Edinburgh at the age 67 and gave my evidence. He was convicted of the offences against me. Assault causing serious injury leading to loss of limb. Lewd and Libidinous offences, which cover the serious and repeated Sexual Assaults.
Today, I received this comment from ‘Doogster 61’, an Old Boy of the De La Salle’s St Ninians School.
Hi Pat, just to let you know, I was a victim of Brother Benedict.
St. Ninians Gartmore.
He was found guilty of 29 charges and will be sentenced on 3rd November. Waited 51 years for this justice.
DeSalle. The brotherhood from hell!
A complete misconception of the words pray & prey!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
My heart goes out to you, Doogster. I’m so pleased you finally got justice.
I had looked at St Ninian’s before. But for readers unfamiliar with the case, I’ve highlighted some relevant areas below.
Many of them are also relevant to St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, up to and including the early 1990s. Of course,like all groomers, these abusers didn’t pick on everyone, but only selected victims. That’s why St J’s Old Boys sometimes write in and say, ‘They never did anything to me.’ I wasn’t so fortunate and, like Doogster, I will have justice.
In the meantime, parents considering sending their children to a De La Salle school, or one closely connected with the De La Salles, should consider the case below.
As late as the early 1990s, a psychotherapist friend told me he had several troubled young clients from St Joseph’s, Ipswich. This was after the DLS had left, I believe. But his advice to their parents was still, ‘You want you son to heal? Get them out of that school. NOW!’
He told me parents rarely listened to his advice. St Joseph’s was such a ‘good school’, you see.
Where, when, how and if the De La Salles ever changed has never been made clear to anyone. We just assume they’ve cleaned up their act.
Until it is made clear, they truly are:
‘The Brotherhood from Hell’.
BACKGROUND
Here’s Wikipedia’s account
In 1953, the Archdiocese of Glasgow bought the house to establish St. Ninian’s, a list D school run by the De La Salle Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious order. During this period the house was the site of numerous cases of child abuse, perpetrated by the staff of St. Ninians. These cases did not come to light until several decades later.[4]
Here’s the Guardian in January 2001
Members of an order of Roman Catholic monks have been accused of physically and sexually abusing boys at a residential school in Scotland, including giving them electric shocks by making them grasp the exposed wires of a generator, it emerged yesterday.
Police in Stirling confirmed that a report had been sent to the procurator fiscal after a three-year inquiry into St Ninian’s school at Gartmore in Stirlingshire, which was run by the De La Salle Brothers.
Former pupils at the school, which closed in 1982, have alleged they were tortured, beaten and sexually molested by a number of the monks and civilian staff.
A spokesman for the order said all the allegations were vigorously denied, and the home had been run in an “exemplary” manner.
Former pupil Christopher Fearns, 34, now a social worker, was sent to the school when he was eight. He has alleged that he was beaten with a riding crop two or three times a week for four years.
“They were constantly beating us,” he said. “They told us they’d beat the devil out of us. One brother whipped me with a horsewhip. He’d tied knots in the end to make it even more painful and I was beaten solidly for 10 minutes.
“I was battered so many times on my head and ears I cannot hear a thing on my left side, and I’ve undergone extensive surgery because of it. There was a field next to the school with an electric fence. I saw the monks, on a number of occasions, forcing boys to grasp it until they cried out in pain.”
John McCormick, a Glasgow-based lawyer representing the De La Salle order, said the monks had cooperated fully with police. “Nobody has been charged,” he said. “The allegations are vigorously denied.
“All the evidence available to me indicates that St Ninian’s was run in an exemplary manner. Unlike those making the allegations and their advisers I will reserve any further comment until after the results of the civil action are known.”
Daily Record October 5, 2021
A former monk who was branded an “animal” is facing his third jail sentence for a catalogue of abuse and brutality he meted out to children at residential schools, including one in Stirlingshire.
Michael Murphy, 88, was convicted of 29 offences of assault, indecent assault and indecent conduct against boys who were housed at St Ninian’s List D School, at Gartmore as well as at St Joseph’s School at Tranent, in East Lothian.
A total of 20 boys, some of whom were as young as seven or eight, were subjected to abuse by the religious brother who beat them and administered electric shocks to young children. The offending began in 1961 and continued until 1981.
Murphy, who was known as Brother Benedict or Brother Ben, had denied a total of 43 charges involving 29 youngsters at the start of a lengthy trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
But after the Crown withdrew charges during the proceedings the jury was required to return verdicts on a total of 33 charges. He was acquitted of four alleged offences.
The trial judge, Lady Carmichael, told him that a custodial sentence was “inevitable”.
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But many escaped according to the Scottish Sunday Mail. Here’s the link
One items stood out for me in this account and showed the De La Salle needs investigating from to bottom.
January 14: We tell how boys abused by the monks were used as medical guinea pigs after being given mysterious white pills.
THE COVER-UP – This part of the Sunday Mail article is particularly relevant because it’s always been my personal memory and belief that St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, its governors and lawyers were all closely interwoven in my day – through the Knights of St Columba – and perhaps still are. Note the same attempt to distance the DLS from their crimes. Today’s St J’s has a similar outlook
Yet St J’s today is part of the De La Salle rugby trophy!
Here’s what the Sunday Mail has to say:
THE lawyer accused of a sickening smear campaign against the De La Salle victims is the son of a former governor at their school.
Solicitor John McCormick’s dead father Frank was a governor of St Ninian’s at Gartmore, Stirlingshire.
McCormick has been blamed for labelling the victims attention seekers and accusing them of being motivated by greed.
He told the Catholic Observer: “There are many reasons why people make spurious allegations, including, of course, the obvious, a claim for compensation.
“There are also people with various attention-seeking psychological conditions.”
McCormick also battled to stop victims getting financial assistance to fund civil actions against the Catholic order despite their tormentors gaining Legal Aid to defend themselves in court.
He told the Scottish Legal Aid Board the De La Salle order never “owned, governed, or ran” the former List D Schools, St Mary’s Bishopbriggs, St Joseph’s, Tranent, St Nininan’s, Gartmore, or St John’s, Springboig.
Yet all of these schools were listed in the Scottish Catholic Directory as De La Salle Schools, and large number of Catholic Church heirarchy held reponsible positions in them. Lawyers for all three convicted abusers also attacked victims in court during the two-week trial.
They tried to convince the jury that none should be believed because some had troubled pasts. They claimed that all the men were lying and chasing compensation.
But they could not explain why one flew from Australia and was visibly shaking as he faced his abuser in court.
And they could not explain why several victims give evidence without joining the civil action against De La Salle.
Scott Brady QC, for Murphy, even criticised Sunday Mail investigator Marion Scott as he smeared the victims at the High Court.
Brady suggested the claims of the vast majority of victims who had contacted the Sunday Mail had been investigated and found to be false. But today, we reveal that many were never interviewed by police and many others saw their abusers escape charges.
Brady said: “Marion Scott told us 200 people called her up and identified Bootsie (Murphy’s nickname) and she passed their details to the police.
“Just five per cent of those remain now. Does that mean that 95 per cent of them were telling a pack of lies? If they were – how easy would it be for the other five per cent?”
The lawyers persuaded the judge to ban publication of photos of the men during the trial in case it helped victims identify them.
In the meantime, Murphy had lost up to two stone in weight and was not wearing the glasses that he used to wear at the school.
McKinstrey’s lawyer, George Pollock, also tried to demolish the character of witnesses. He described one of McKinstrey’s victims as someone who’d “lied all his life”. And he attacked another of McKinstrey’s victims because he had criminal convictions for theft.
He also attacked newspapers and TV programmes for reporting the scandal. He said: “In this country we do not have trial by TV, trial by documentary, trial by newspaper – we have trial by judge and jury.”
Nightwatchman James McKinstrey, 70, of Port of Monteith was convicted of four sexual abuse charges, despite protests from his defence that he was mentally retarded.
But we can reveal that McKinstrey tried to infiltrate an abuse survivors support group only months before his court appearance.
Furious Frank Docherty, of the support group In Care Abuse Survivors said: “He tried to get us to accept him into our group, claiming he had been a victim of a Catholic care home.
“He told us he’d been abused himself when he was a child and that was why he’d abused boys at St Ninian’s.
“There was no sign that he was mentally retarded. It was simply an attempt to forge an alibi for his own sick perversions.”
Pat Mills 