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30/06/2005
Sex abuse victim wins record payout from Catholic Church
A man who was sexually abused by a Catholic priest has been awarded record damages of more than £600,000 at the High Court.
The High court awarded the victim, known as "A", damages of £635,684 against the defendants, the Archbishop of Birmingham and the trustees of the Birmingham Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church.
The defendants had admitted legal liability for “failing to prevent these activities”.
The settlement, the largest in British history, largely reflects the loss of earnings by the victim. Now 35, he suffers from schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder and requires 24-hour care.
Father Christopher Clonan abused the 35-year-old victim, known as A, while he was working as a parish priest in Coventry.
Fr Clonan abused the victim for ten years from the age of eight. He said that he did not know that anything was wrong until 1992, when his “life fell apart”, and he reported the abuse to the police.
Fr Clonan fled to Ireland after the abuse was reported, before going to Australia, where he died in 1998. He was never prosecuted for the abuse.
At the High Court, Mr Justice Christopher Clarke said that the abuse had been “regular and progressive”. He said that it had remained undetected for so long, because “initially A did not comprehend what was going on, and latterly he was too afraid to speak, thinking that he would not be believed, as Father Clonan told him would be the case.”
Speaking after the decision, representatives for the victim said that they hoped the Catholic Church would offer “realistic compensation” to all victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.
The Archdiocese of Birmingham issued a statement, which said: “The Archdiocese deeply regrets that a priest should have totally misused his position of trust in such a way and apologises again to those who have been abused and offended.
“This trust was placed in him by the Church and especially by his parishioners. The damage that he has done is deep and lasting.
“The Archdiocese hopes that this settlement will bring some resolution of the distress and anguish experienced by the claimant and his family.”
(KMcA/SP)
The High court awarded the victim, known as "A", damages of £635,684 against the defendants, the Archbishop of Birmingham and the trustees of the Birmingham Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church.
The defendants had admitted legal liability for “failing to prevent these activities”.
The settlement, the largest in British history, largely reflects the loss of earnings by the victim. Now 35, he suffers from schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder and requires 24-hour care.
Father Christopher Clonan abused the 35-year-old victim, known as A, while he was working as a parish priest in Coventry.
Fr Clonan abused the victim for ten years from the age of eight. He said that he did not know that anything was wrong until 1992, when his “life fell apart”, and he reported the abuse to the police.
Fr Clonan fled to Ireland after the abuse was reported, before going to Australia, where he died in 1998. He was never prosecuted for the abuse.
At the High Court, Mr Justice Christopher Clarke said that the abuse had been “regular and progressive”. He said that it had remained undetected for so long, because “initially A did not comprehend what was going on, and latterly he was too afraid to speak, thinking that he would not be believed, as Father Clonan told him would be the case.”
Speaking after the decision, representatives for the victim said that they hoped the Catholic Church would offer “realistic compensation” to all victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests.
The Archdiocese of Birmingham issued a statement, which said: “The Archdiocese deeply regrets that a priest should have totally misused his position of trust in such a way and apologises again to those who have been abused and offended.
“This trust was placed in him by the Church and especially by his parishioners. The damage that he has done is deep and lasting.
“The Archdiocese hopes that this settlement will bring some resolution of the distress and anguish experienced by the claimant and his family.”
(KMcA/SP)
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