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Accusations of Abuse in Institutions

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The Press
June 25, 2002

Police ready for abuse complaints
by Yvonne Martin

A senior Christchurch detective will oversee any fresh complaints that arise from the sex scandal within the Catholic St John of God Order.

The order has secretly paid out $300,000 to five complainants who allege they were abused at Marylands, a former residential school, in the 1960s and 1970s. Four Christchurch brothers have had claims made against them, none of whom remain working for the order.

The St John of God Order in Australia has already paid out $4 million to 24 intellectually disabled men who were sexually abused there. A total of 20 brothers in Australia and New Zealand have been accused of abuse.

The order is calling for other people who believe they are victims of abuse by brothers to come forward, or go to the police.

Detective Inspector Peter Read said the police were in touch with counselling organisations and were prepared should new complaints arise regarding Marylands. They had not received any complaints from Canterbury so far. Hornby police would handle any future complaints, overseen by Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Landreth.

All five earlier New Zealand complainants were subject to strict confidentiality clauses in their agreements, but two have spoken out to The Press about their ordeals.

Since then the Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust manager Ken Clearwater has had 13 inquiries from former Marylands boarders or their representatives.

An ongoing investigation by The Press has heard from three fresh complainants, alleging sexual and physical abuse at Marylands.

The Catholic Church opened its files at the weekend, saying nationwide protocol committees had substantiated 38 claims of abuse dating back to the 1950s. Payments totalling $550,000 had been made by three church orders, including St John of God.