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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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A man who has helped
the victims of a former Catholic brother found guilty of sex abuse charges
says he derives a degree of satisfaction from the verdict. A High Court jury in
Christchurch has found 58-year-old Bernard Kevin McGrath guilty of 21 charges
of sexually exploiting boys when he taught at Marylands School in Christchurch
in the mid 1970s. He was found not guilty of the remaining 23 charges. The
jury rejected sodomy charges. Ken Clearwater from the
group Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust says some of McGrath's victims
have been waiting 30 years for a conclusion. He believes those whose cases
were proved will be happy with the outcome and can finally begin the healing
process, but is concerned about the 23 charges on which McGrath was found not
guilty. Mr Clearwater believes
there are more abuse revelations to be aired. "This is only one
Catholic order. We've got other men that we're working with that have been
abused by Catholic priests throughout this country over the last 30 or 40
years and it has to be looked into. It's something the Government has to look
at now. The Order of St John of
God has paid around $5 million to former pupils who laid complaints. |
