Two Found Guilty of Care Home Sex Abuse
ITV
James Carragher, 75, the former principal of the now defunct St William's Children's Home in Market Weighton, was found guilty of 24 charges of sexual abuse by a jury at Leeds Crown Court. It is the third time he has been convicted of abusing boys in his care.
Anthony McCallen, 69, who was former chaplain at the home, was found guilty on 11 counts of sexual abuse. Carragher is a former member of the De La Salle Brotherhood. The group released the following statement. "We totally condemn, without reservation, any action or behaviour which harms young people. The behaviour of James Carragher was a deep betrayal of the Order’s mission to the young and of the trust that was placed in him as a De La Salle Brother. He was dismissed from the Order following previous conviction. Likewise, we condemn the behaviour of Anthony McCallen when he was Chaplain at St William’s. He used his status as a priest to commit serious offences which was a total betrayal of his priesthood and of the trust placed in him as Chaplain. We deeply regret what happened at St William’s and the harm that was done there through the behaviour of both Carragher and McCallen. Our hearts go out to all victims of abuse and their families. The De La Salle Order is committed to the Safeguarding procedures of the Catholic Church and these are followed rigorously and are subject to regular external independent inspection to prevent anything similar happening in the future. – BROTHER LAURENCE HUGHES, DE LA SALLE BROTHERS The Diocese of Middlesbrough, which owned the home, released the following statement: "We condemn any behaviour which harms young people. The behaviour of Anthony McCallen whilst he was a Priest was a betrayal of the trust that was placed in him from the Diocese of Middlesbrough. We now have robust safeguarding in place to ensure that similar situations do not arise in the future. This is the third prosecution relating to St William's. We hope now that justice has been done and that those affected by the abuse can move on with their lives. The civil litigation has been ongoing for some time and whilst it is ongoing, we are unable to comment further. However, now that the criminal case is concluded, we hope that the civil claims will now be resolved expeditiously." – DIOCESE OF MIDDLESBROUGH Both men will be sentenced in the new year. Last updated Wed 16 Dec 2015
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