AUSTRALIA
Perth Now
EMILY MOULTON PERTHNOW MAY 02, 2014
THE Christian Brothers viewed victims who sought compensation through the courts as “less worthy” than those who sought pastoral care, a national inquiry into the child sex abuse has heard.
And the law firm which acted on behalf of the Catholic order, Carroll and O’Dea, advised members to “tough” out the class action brought by Slater and Gordon by adopting a defensive strategy after it was forced to hand over a secret report which contained allegations of sexual abuse by brothers.
Yesterday, The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which is looking at the experiences of former residents at four Christian Brothers homes in WA during the 1940s to 60s, heard the report, Reaping the Whirlwind, written by Brother Barry Coldrey named brothers accused of abusing children at the homes between 1920 to 1940.
Some of those brothers had been named by victims in the class action.
Howard Harrison, a partner at the firm who was involved in the negotiations, told the hearing today there was an awareness within the order of the abuse and a need to provide help.
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