SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland
Brian Donnelly @BrianDonnellyHT
Senior News Reporter
A SENIOR Catholic monk has admitted there was an “alarming failure” by brothers to protect children in care, a public inquiry into child abuse heard.
Brother Laurence Hughes, provincial of the De La Salle Brothers, also accepted there was a “disturbing lack of awareness” of abuse in schools run by the order in Scotland.
He also apologised at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry in Edinburgh for abuse inflicted by both those who were convicted of offences and other brothers who were not convicted.
As well as Michael Murphy, known as Brother Benedict or Brother Ben to children in his care at St Joseph’s List D School in Tranent, East Lothian, being convicted of 15 charges of assault and indecent assault involving eight boys spanning the decade up to 1981, Brother Hughes accepted it was possible further abuse was carried out against children.
In the order’s report to the inquiry Brother Hughes said wrote: “The congregation acknowledges that abuse may not be confined to those with convictions.”
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