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Man Tells of Shocking Abuse at the Hands of Perverted Priests at Boys" Home

Tamworth Herald
August 18, 2016

http://www.tamworthherald.co.uk/abuse-in-boys-homes-left-dad-with-a-legacy-of-aggression-and-anger/story-29629455-detail/story.html

Derek Finnegan, 57, was a resident at the now-closed Father Hudson's Home in Coleshill.

A TAMWORTH man has spoken out about his nine years of hell at the hands of pervert priests and masters at a boys' home.

Derek Finnegan (57), who formerly lived in Erdington, was beaten and sexually abused on an almost daily basis, experiences which he says have ruined his life.

Although those who targeted him are now dead, Derek is desperate to track down other boys from the home who were also abused by those in charge.

"I WOULD hear the key turn in the lock. I would face the wall and hold on to the pillow, I could smell the whisky on his breath. Even now it kills me to think about it."

Derek was abused in children's homes from the age of nine. He was 14 when things turned worse and he claims he was raped several times a week for the following two years.

The three perpetrators of the abuse are now dead, but it is a nightmare from which Derek has never fully recovered.

After living in Erdington, he and his five siblings were taken to Father Hudson's Homes in Coleshill in 1967 when Derek was just seven. Initially, he was placed in St Edward's Boys Home with his elder brother who looked after him.

But one by one his brothers and sisters were fostered, leaving him terrified and alone.

"It was the worst time of my life. The beatings started on the first day. I was crying for my mum and I couldn't eat my dinner. One of the nuns hit me round the head with a huge bunch of keys.

"My big brother looked after me for the first three months but then one day he told me he had a dentist's appointment and he'd see me after school.

"I never saw him again. One of the nuns told me he had been fostered and he'd left his belongings in a drawer for me. There was just a tube of Ultrabrite toothpaste."

There were regular beatings for Derek throughout the next few years and he also suffered bullying from older children. But things took a turn for the worse when he was nine and the sexual abuse began.

"I was woken up at 4.30am to serve as an altar boy at early Mass in the chapel.

"During the Mass, I fainted, probably through hunger and lack of sleep.

"I remember one of the nuns being so angry with me that she pinched my leg really hard.

"I went to get changed out of my cassock and the priest started to touch me as I removed my cassock. I didn't know what to do. But it didn't last that long to start with.

"Then one day three of us ran away. For three days we hid under a hedge not far away. When they found us we were taken to the priest's office where we were stripped and beaten so badly we were covered in red welts and bruises. And then he started touching me again.

"There was also a visiting priest who seemed really nice to start with – he would give you 10p or 20p to go and buy some sweets. But then he started molesting me. He'd touch me and make me touch him. It was horrible."

Derek, now a lorry driver, says that despite regular beatings and cruel treatment from the nuns, he has forgiven them.

"I have forgiven the nuns, I don't think they knew what was going on, they were told to do a job. They were controlled by Father Hudson's. At the time I thought they were being horrible.

"After what happened to me I will never go near another church again in all my life and I would never trust a priest. I think the Catholic Church must have known what was going on."

Derek left Coleshill at the age of 13 to go to St Vincent's Home in Birmingham, which was meant for older boys.

He didn't know it at the time, but things were about to get even worse.

"I was a weak child growing up and one boy bullied me. He made me steal and beg for him so that he could buy fags. He used to make me go to a nearby school in all my breaks and beg for pennies. Then it got worse and I was stealing teachers' handbags and purses.

"Then one night we mugged two women as they walked up the street. I was 13, I was terrified that if I didn't do what I was told I would be beaten by the bullies.

"We got caught and I ended up spending three weeks at a remand centre in Birmingham."

He was back at St Vincent's and was 14 when things got bleaker still.

"One of the staff masters there was the worst nightmare of my life. At St Edward's it was touchy-feely, inappropriate stuff, but he was another level. We had separate rooms and he would come into my room four or five times a week and rape me.

"I was most worried if I was ill, because in the sick room you really were on your own."

The horrific abuse has left Derek with serious anger management issues and led to the break-up of his marriage.

"I was 26 when I got married. I was angry and violent and would smash things up when I lost my temper. I was aggressive.

"I had two young sons and if I was playing football or playing on the Playstation with them and I lost, I would get really angry.

"It seemed like reasonable behaviour at the time, but looking back I can see that it wasn't.

"My sons are now grown-up and don't have much to do with me – I don't blame them, I was always angry with them and they were only little."

It was only after he appeared in court after a road rage incident that Derek started to get the help he so desperately needed.

The probation service have provided the first help he has ever had, but he is slowly rebuilding his life, over 40 years later.

His partner of 12 years told the Herald: "We met 12 years ago and Derek told me straight away what happened to him, but never went into detail. He was very angry, but luckily at that time worked away from home, so I could always manage with him, he was always very much if he wanted to do something he would and he liked to go out drinking of a weekend.

"He would get drunk to forget but it made things so much worse because he would kick off at anything. He was never physical, once he spat in my face, but never hit me but he would shout and hit doors.

"We had many years of on-then-off – he would cheat when drunk, just really not very nice. Despite all this when it was good, he was amazing and I always believed he had a good heart. Now he has received help from medication and counsellors, he has become the man he was always meant to be – caring, loving and considerate.

"He still has bad days but has finally told me what he went through.

"I am amazed how far he has come and hope all that he is doing will finally give him some closure so we can have some good years together."

West Midlands Police confirmed that in 2001 it received a complaint of historical abuse at Father Hudson's Homes.

A spokesman said that if further information were to come to light it would re-open the investigation.

Andy Quinn, CEO of Father Hudson's confirmed that he had recently met Derek who wanted to talk about his hellish life at the homes more than 40 years ago.

He said: "Our practice when it comes to safeguarding and child protection is to take very seriously any allegation and to cooperate fully with the police and others involved.

"Our children's services that are inspected by Ofsted have received outstanding awards.

"If any child has been abused or hurt in our care, our commitment is that they will find justice and I am confident that the police, the legal system and Father Hudson's will do all they can to ensure this."

 

 

 

 

 




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