Latest news with #sexualabuse
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Abuse survivors left waiting too long for redress from Scouting Ireland
Many men whose lives have been devastated by the sexual abuse suffered as children at the hands of scout leaders have told their stories to The Irish Times. When the historical child sex abuse scandal that rocked Scouting Ireland broke in 2018, senior figures in the organisation privately stressed there was no desire to put survivors through bitter court battles for redress. Seven years later, many are still waiting and fighting. More than 350 people reported being sexually abused as children in the Catholic Boy Scouts of Ireland and the Scout Association of Ireland, which merged to form Scouting Ireland in 2004. The true number of people molested by scout leaders is likely to be higher, given the reluctance to report childhood abuse. A review by child protection expert Ian Elliott concluded the abuse had been covered up for decades to protect the reputation of the movement. READ MORE About 70 alleged victims are suing Scouting Ireland to seek compensation for what happened to them as children. The number is still increasing, with the most recent case lodged this April. Solicitors representing alleged victims say Scouting Ireland has been aggressively contesting any legal cases taken by survivors. [ Scouting Ireland opted against 'non-adversarial' abuse survivors scheme ] In the two known civil cases where the organisation paid out settlements, both were only resolved at the last minute after High Court trials began. Abuse survivors say these lengthy legal fights for redress are compounding their pain. 'The toll is absolutely devastating,' said one man who took a case five years ago. 'They promised me that I wasn't going to be dragged through the court process,' he said. Scouting Ireland did not respond to questions about its approach to cases taken by abuse survivors. Financial settlements in historical abuse cases commonly run into six-figure sums. The legal fees to defend so many civil cases will also be significant. At the outset of the scandal, Mr Elliott advised Scouting Ireland to set up a victim support scheme as an alternative to 'adversarial' court fights. The idea was to work with survivors to help them heal. His internal proposal, seen by The Irish Times, said this scheme could include making financial payments. Mr Elliott, who led safeguarding reforms of the Catholic Church, said those who had been abused in legacy scouting associations needed to be 'engaged on a human level'. 'This cannot happen if you rely on a lawyer to respond to a victim. If you do, you are immediately embarking on a confrontation and challenge approach, which is extremely costly and very damaging for the survivors,' he wrote. Should Scouting Ireland opt to take the same defensive path as other institutions hit by abuse scandals, it would not survive the crisis, Mr Elliott said. The voluntary organisation does not have financial wealth on the scale of the Church or the State, so setting up a redress scheme would be very complex. It seems Scouting Ireland instead opted to buy time by robustly contesting any legal cases that were filed. This would allow it to spread the cost of settlements paid to survivors out over many years. Their instinct is to protect the future of the youth organisation, which tens of thousands of children enjoy today as members of cub and scout groups. In 2020, the organisation made an unambiguous public apology to victims of abuse. It stated: 'We want you to know that you are believed. We want you to know that we will support you.' That has not been the experience of many survivors who have rightly sought some redress for the devastating abuse they suffered as children.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Deputy headteacher, 51, who had sex with schoolgirl is married to former student and has children with her, court hears
A former deputy head teacher who is accused of having sex with a 16-year-old pupil is married to another former student, a court has heard. John Harvey, 51, who was an English teacher and safeguarding lead at Penryn College in Cornwall, allegedly had sex with the teenager in his car and at her home while her father was away. He is on trial this week at Truro Crown Court facing two counts of inappropriate sexual behaviour with the girl - who cannot be named for legal reasons - while being in a position of trust and abusing that trust. Harvey denies the two charges in relation to alleged incidents which are said to have happened several years ago. Jurors heard today that Harvey, from Perranwell Station, is actually married to a former pupil of his with whom he has children and has been with for more than 20 years. She is not the alleged victim in the trial. Emma Stokes, who was also taught by Harvey for two years, told the court that Harvey's wife is her best friend, adding that she was a bridesmaid at their wedding and is a godmother to one of their children. She described the couple's relationship as very 'loving, caring, honest' and said they remained very much in love after all these years. Ms Stokes said: 'I've never had any reason to doubt or question anything about his behaviour. There has never been a moment that I have had any doubt whatsoever that he absolutely loves [his wife] and the girls.' Ms Stokes took to the stand as part of Harvey's defence and told the court that she was taught by him for two years and that they remain friends to this day. She met him during her time at the college where he taught her media studies for her two final years of school. She described how she still travels to Cornwall to spend time with the former teacher who taught her best friend at Penryn College. The former Metropolitan police officer turned transformational therapist, now of Milton Keynes, said: 'He was the best teacher I would say, in my opinion. He was the teacher that everybody wanted to be in the class with. 'He had this amazing respect for the pupils. He was very easily relatable and just made you feel heard and listened to.' Her two younger brothers also attended the school and were taught by Harvey. Her two nieces are still at the school, one of whom was also taught by Harvey for a time. Ms Stokes explained that Harvey is married to her best friend and that she was a bridesmaid at their wedding and is a godmother to one of their children. As such they have spent lots of social occasions together. Asked by the prosecution how she knew her best friend, Ms Stokes explained that they went to school together and were in the same year. She said they didn't have the same classes but confirmed that Harvey taught his partner English at school while she was taught media. 'I first became aware of their relationship when me and [Harvey's wife] were going to Truro College together,' she explained when asked what she knew of when their relationship first began. Ms Stokes' father, David O'Neil, also a former police officer, who served for Devon and Cornwall Police, also took to the witness stand during which he described Harvey as having 'integrity' and being 'an honest man'. That concludes the evidence in the trial.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Charges pile up for ex-teacher accused of sexually abusing student
An indictment has been unsealed in the case of former Downers Grove, Illinois, high school teacher Christina Formella, who faces dozens of new charges for allegedly sexually abusing a student. Abby Escobar, a true-crime digital creator known as Abby Blabby, joins 'Banfield' to discuss what transpired in court this week. #Crime #SexualAbuse #Teacher
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'Cool monk' who groomed and sexually abused boys at £43,000-a-year private school is jailed
A monk who groomed and sexually abused boys at a £43,000-a-year Roman Catholic boarding school has been jailed for seven years. Michael James Callaghan, known as Father James, preyed on vulnerable teenage boys at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, a court heard. Judge Richard Clews said the actions of the 71-year-old brought 'the Catholic church and the school into serious disrepute by their nature and number.' Last month Callaghan was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault on one pupil in the 1990s and one count of sexual assault on another teenager in the 2010s at a trial at Teeside Crown Court last month. The older victim, neither of whom can be identified, faced the priest in court as he read out a statement in which he said 'Father James was manipulative and controlling'. He said: 'My life was hijacked when I was just 14 and I have been dealing with the fallout ever since.' The court heard how the house master groomed the boy and engineered ways to be alone with him, took him out of school for meals and gave him cigarettes. The complainant said in his police interview that Callaghan would 'take on the role of a boy I had a crush on' and they would kiss and simulate sex, telling officers he 'hated the sexual bit of it' and realised as an adult it 'wasn't right'. The second victim, who had his bottom fondled by Callaghan, said it was 'weird and quite frightening' that his abuser was a priest. In a victim statement which was read out for him, he said he hoped Callaghan could be rehabilitated, and 'that he may in time examine his conscience, practice repentance and change his ways'. One of the victims had described Callaghan as a 'cool monk who was popular' at a previous hearing. David Lamb KC, defending, said Callaghan had sought medical help to address his attraction to boys before he joined Ampleforth. He added that Callaghan has no previous convictions and expressed remorse after his conviction. The judge said Callaghan, of Moortown, Leeds, would be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for life. Judge Clews said right-thinking people would 'recoil in horror' at the idea of a Roman Catholic priest having a sexual relationship with a boy. The school, described in court as 'the Catholic Eton', said after the sentencing that it had 'overhauled' it safeguarding systems. In a statement, it said: 'Ampleforth College deplores abuse and offers a heartfelt apology to the victims and their families for the profound suffering and pain that Michael James Callaghan has inflicted upon them. 'We acknowledge past failings and feel great sorrow at the terrible betrayal of trust.' It said the monk left the school in 2018 and it fully supported the police inquiries which began in 2022. The statement added: 'We are committed to reporting any safeguarding concerns to the relevant authorities and supporting the police and relevant authorities in any investigation. 'We actively offer any help we can give to survivors of abuse and we commend their courage in speaking out.' After the sentencing, Detective Constable Alison Morris, of North Yorkshire Police, said: 'Not only did Callaghan abuse his position of trust in the most appalling way, taking advantage of vulnerable boys he should have been caring for and protecting, he denied his offences throughout and showed no remorse for the pain and suffering he caused.'
BBC News
18 hours ago
- BBC News
Ampleforth College monk jailed for sexually abusing two boys
A "manipulative and controlling" monk who sexually abused two pupils at a North Yorkshire public school has been jailed for seven James Callaghan, 71, abused his position of trust when he preyed on the teenage boys at Ampleforth College, a Catholic boarding school, Durham Crown Court heard. Callaghan, of Moortown, Leeds, was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault on one pupil in the 1990s and one count of sexual assault on another teenager in the as Father James at the college, Callaghan will be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offenders' register for life. The older victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, read out a statement during the sentencing hearing. "Father James was manipulative and controlling," he said. "My life was hijacked when I was just 14 and I have been dealing with the fallout ever since." The court heard how Callaghan groomed the boy and engineered ways to be alone with him, took him out of school for meals and gave him complainant described to police how Callaghan would "take on the role of a boy I had a crush on" and they would kiss and simulate told police he "hated the sexual bit of it" and realised as an adult it "wasn't right", the Teesside Crown Court trial previously second victim described how he suffered from nightmares and panic attacks."I looked up to him, I trusted him," he said in a statement. "He chose to violate my boundaries; first to groom me over a period of time and then to sexually assault me."Judge Richard Clews, sentencing, told the defendant right-thinking people would "recoil in horror" at the idea of a Roman Catholic priest having a sexual relationship with a boy. David Lamb KC, defending, said Callaghan had no previous convictions and he had expressed remorse for his actions after conviction. The school, described in court as "the Catholic Eton", said it had "overhauled" safeguarding systems and actively offered help to survivors of a statement, it said: "Ampleforth College deplores abuse and offers a heartfelt apology to the victims and their families for the profound suffering and pain that Michael James Callaghan has inflicted upon them."We acknowledge past failings and feel great sorrow at the terrible betrayal of trust."It said the monk left the school in 2018 and it fully supported the police investigation, which started in Con Alison Morris, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "Not only did Callaghan abuse his position of trust in the most appalling way, taking advantage of vulnerable boys he should have been caring for and protecting, he denied his offences throughout. "He showed no remorse for the pain and suffering he caused." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
