UNITED KINGDOM
The Press
Alex Ross
THREE alleged victims of sex abuse at a Catholic children’s homes have been unsuccessful in their bid for compensation.
Only one out of four ‘test’ cases was awarded £14,000 in damages at Leeds High Court after a ruling was made by a judge presiding over compensation claims for former pupils at St William’s, in Market Weighton, East Yorkshire.
A total of 249 men lodged claims against the Diocese of Middlesbrough and the De La Salle institute, which ran the home until its closure in 1992.
They claim to have suffered sexual abuse there and, in one of the largest joint compensation claims against the Catholic Church, potential payouts could run into millions of pounds if successful.
But on Wednesday Judge Mark Gosnell ruled on the first four cases and only one was successful. His ruling is expected on a further, fifth case, in January.
The former headmaster, James Carragher, and the former priest, Anthony McCallen, were convicted of sex offences against boys at the school in November 2015. Carragher, 75, was convicted previously in 1993 and 2004 of sexual offences against boys at the school which closed in 1992.
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