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Accusations of Abuse in
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New Zealand Herald
June 6, 2002
Trust hunts for more abuse victims
by Gregg Wycherley
More children than previously
thought may have been sexually abused at an Anglican Church trust foster home.
The Anglican Trust For Women & Children said
yesterday that it was trying to track other children who may have been abused
30 years ago at Blackwood House in
Three children are known to have been sexually abused and the trust has paid
$75,000 compensation to one.
Last month, Ramon Doughty, a 72-year-old retired builder from Matamata, admitted 20 charges of sexual abuse between 1967
and 1974 involving three girls.
He will be sentenced next week in the High Court at
The trust chairwoman, Dianne Kenderdine, said other
girls living at Blackwood House during Doughty's
tenure might have been abused.
The trust had made inquiries, independent of the police investigation, to
contact former residents.
But its attempts had proved unsuccessful so far because of the 30-year time
lag, name changes due to marriage and changes of address.
"By the sheer nature of some of the families we worked with ... they were
not people who were perhaps in their own accommodation, so consequently their
addresses changed over time."
Ms Kenderdine said the trust was contacted by a woman
last March, who was "immediately referred to the police to have her sexual
abuse investigated by appropriate authorities".
"This investigation led to a guilty plea by Ramon Doughty,
and a subsequent private settlement by the trust with the woman
concerned."
The offences were committed when Doughty and his wife were foster parents at
Blackwood House.
Ms Kenderdine said the trust had decided to pay
compensation regardless of the outcome of the prosecution against Doughty.
"We were dealing with the needs of the person who came to us. She needed
to get her life back on track.
"The most important thing for us was that she should be able to go forward
and have a life without a lot of baggage."
Three former residents of Blackwood House told the Holmes television show last
night that they were struggling to recover from Doughty's
abuse. One said that Doughty put her on the floor on her 10th birthday in 1968
and tried to rape her. He failed, so sodomised her.
"It was a pain I'll never forget."
Another said of his sentencing: "I think they should throw away the
key."
The third said she had since struggled to form relationships with men.
All three women suspected the trust had known of the abuse.
The Bishop of Auckland, John Paterson, said he was mistaken when he told the
Herald on Tuesday that the church had not been informed of the case.
He was told by Ms Kenderdine of the sexual abuse
claims in the middle of last year, he said yesterday.
Because the allegations did not involve clergy, he did not feel it was necessary
for the church to take any further action relating to the abuse claims, or to
contribute any money towards compensation.
Ms Kenderdine said she did not know of any other
sexual abuse claims relating to the trust.
However, she was aware that the two other women abused by Doughty might also
make claims for compensation.
* If you have information about Blackwood House, please contact [email protected]