The Dominion Post
May 18 2004
A priest's long fall from grace
by Fran Tyler
Alan Woodcock preyed
on his pupils, gained their confidence, then used them for sexual
gratification. His employer, the Catholic Church, found out, but he continued.
Fran Tyler looks at his past and how the Church failed to stop him.
Alan Woodcock first sexually abused a pupil in 1978. The boy was in the fourth
form at
Instead, the priest took him to the hills behind Taradale. There he removed the
belt from the boy's pants and pulled them down. However, the boy complained,
telling him to stop. The boy never said a word about the incident, and Woodcock
continued to be a teacher, albeit a mediocre one.
A 1979 report by Father Noel Delaney described reports of Woodcock's teaching
ability at
"The opinion of the staff was that he had much to give but lacked in
confidence and the ability to organise himself."
Despite his ability as a musician and composer, "even in this area he was
disappointing", Father Delaney wrote.
To help Woodcock improve his skills, he was posted to
Woodcock, then aged 31, picked up a 17-year-old boy in
Woodcock, who succeeded in having his name, but not his occupation, suppressed,
was convicted and given a suspended sentence. Father Delaney wrote to the court
saying he had been incredulous when he heard about the incident.
"I can vouch that we can offer him the fullest human and spiritual support
at our disposal. While we cannot condone the behaviour that comes before the
court, we must offer him the kind of fellowship that will give his future every
hope of realising the kind of service to his fellow men that is inseparable
from the commitment to religious life that he has made."
The next year, Woodcock was moved to
While there, he abused several boys, enticing them to his bedroom with
cigarettes, pretending friendship and concern.
But one of his victims complained to then college rector Father Michael
Curtain.
A confidential memo outlined the actions taken by the church and school after
the complaint. Written by Father Curtain to the provincial (head of the Society
of Mary in
It had also "placed me (Father Curtain) in an invidious position when
dealing with certain boys".
"My hands were tied. Thus, in a recent stealing inquiry, if I had judged
that one boy (who had stolen and lied) merited expulsion, I could not have done
so for fear of the consequences. One other boy told me that he had already
spoken to his parents about certain alleged indiscretions that had taken place
with him."
Father Curtain went on to outline "certain precautions" that Woodcock
had to take.
These included: leaving the door to his bedroom open if a boy needed to see
him, "unless the visit is of a confessional nature or a similarly private
matter".
"Finally, I suggested that, to cover any possible eventuality, he should
make immediate moves to acquire a passport," Father Curtain wrote.
In an interview with police in 1995, Father Curtain said Woodcock's antics came
to his attention after a complaint from a boy.
"I rang the provincial and said that, true or not, the allegations meant
that Alan Woodcock should be moved. The provincial said that he would shift
him."
But Woodcock was allowed to complete 1982 at St Patrick's.
Asked by the officer why the complaint was never followed up, Father Curtain
said: "I suppose there were two reasons. There was a different climate of
opinion in those days, (we) didn't expect those things to happen, and whether
the allegations were true or false, action had been taken by shifting him and
giving him the guidelines".
Asked if Woodcock was transferred to protect his name, Father Curtain replied:
"Ahhh . . . yes". The direction to get a
passport "would have been the normal course in those days to take; if we
wanted someone to get counselling or help in this area . . . the places to go
for counselling were overseas," he told police.
In 1983, Woodcock was appointed to Highden noviate, near Palmerston North.
In a letter advising Woodcock of his new appointment, Father Bliss said he
hoped Woodcock would take the opportunity to seek "that specialist help in
Palmerston North that you need".
He then thanked him for the contribution he had made to St Patrick's.
While at Highden, Woodcock continued to offend,
revisiting boys he had abused or met at St Patrick's.
In 1984, the church moved him to Futuna Catholic
retreat in Karori.
There he befriended a teenage boy and his parents. Woodcock became a regular
guest at the family's home. The boy's parents noticed a dramatic change in
their son, and eventually he disclosed that Woodcock had sexually abused him.
In 1985 Woodcock was sent back to Highden.
The next year, in February 1986, Woodcock was sent to St John of God Hospital
in
The following December, the father of one of Woodcock's Futuna
victims complained to the church about the abuse.
Woodcock was sent to
In 1990, he moved to
In 1994, St Patrick's pupil Terry Carter laid a complaint with police about Woodcock.
The year after that, another St Patrick's boy came forward, complaining that Woodcock
had abused him in 1982.
However, Woodcock refused a request by Interpol for an interview about the
complaints and the matter was left there till Mr Carter settled a six-year
civil court case with the church. In 2002, publicity surrounding the settlement
brought forward more Woodcock victims and police sought to extradite him from
Woodcock fought the extradition, denying all the allegations and telling the
High Court in
However, his victims did not forget him so easily and nor could the Catholic
Church, which has been left to pick up the costly pieces. The policeman in
charge of the case, Detective Sergeant Murray Porter, says, though many of Woodcock's
victims have come forward, he believes there are many more who
have not. It is unlikely that the full extent of Woodcock's offending will ever
be revealed, he says.