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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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A former priest with
sex-crime convictions has denied sexually abusing a girl at an Upper Hutt
orphanage more than 30 years ago. The woman who made the
allegation against him is suing four Catholic groups for $550,000, claiming
she was abused physically, emotionally, verbally and sexually while in
Catholic care. In the High Court at
Wellington yesterday the former priest, whose name is suppressed, said he had
been jailed in 1994 on charges of sexual violation relating to a female over
the age of 16. But under
cross-examination he agreed the sentencing judge had decided the offences had
begun when the girl was 13. He agreed he thought he could get away with the
difference relying on an inaccurate Justice Ministry document he had been
given. He denied intending to
lie, but agreed that was how it appeared. The woman who brought
the case, whose name is suppressed, has alleged the priest had wanted a
sexual relationship with her mother and when that did not happen he took his
revenge on the children. Both the man and the
mother, who also testified yesterday, denied having a relationship. The mother said the man
had been barely civil to her and very distant, but he was good to her when
one of her children died. The man said he agreed
"to some degree" that the children's homes were a dumping system
putting young children in the care of often elderly women who had difficulty
caring for them. He agreed it was never made clear to parents that the
standard of care might be inferior. He said he encouraged
the plaintiff's mother to take her seven children back, including offering to
provide a house for the family. He agreed that no steps
seemed to have been taken to address "concerning" comments recorded
in the plaintiff's file about her behaviour. One of the plaintiff's
sisters said she was "exorcised", but the man said what she
described was not what he understood was an exorcism, and he had not taken
part in it. The mother said she
thought the nuns, some of whom had taught her as a girl, were taking good
care of her daughters. Wellington's Roman
Catholic Archdiocese, Catholic Social Services, Sisters of Mercy (Wellington)
Trust Board and St Joseph's Orphanage Trust Board are defending the claims
factually and legally. The parties dispute the
legal and actual control Catholic Social Services had over the care of
orphanage children. But one witness yesterday agreed the head of CSS had a
role that gave him care and control of the plaintiff and her siblings. The case is expected to
end next week. |
