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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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A lawyer for the
Catholic Church has suggested to the High Court at Wellington that a serious
ear injury suffered by a woman suing the church for alleged abuse was caused
by infection, and not by a blow. The 45-year-old wants
compensation of more than half a million dollars for abuse she says she
suffered at an Upper Hutt orphanage, St Mary's College in Wellington, and in
foster homes. The complainant has
told the court that she was beaten around the ear by a nun at St Mary's who
found her copying another girls handwriting from a book and that she lived
with a perforated ear drum for nearly ten years. An Australian ear
specialist who examined her told the court by video link that the injury was
almost certainly caused by a blow because of its location. However the lawyer for
the orphanage and the college Chris Finlayson said another doctor believed it
was much more likely to have been caused by a chronic infection in childhood. |
