Stuff
May 18 2004
Police will hear sex abuse claims first - church
NZPA
The Catholic Church
has vowed to pass all allegations of sex abuse against children by members
straight to police following the conviction of paedophile priest Alan Woodcock
yesterday.
"We learn by our mistakes and they were very grievous mistakes," the
head of Woodcock's order, Father Denis O'Hagan said.
"When allegations of abuse are made against our order if they are
contemporary and they are about children we will immediately inform the
police."
The church was aware Woodcock had a previous sexual assault conviction before
it made him a teacher at a
Woodcock yesterday pleaded guilty to 21 charges of abusing 11 boys between 1978
and 1987 when he was teaching at
Thirteen charges were withdrawn.
He was remanded in custody to appear in Wellington District Court for sentence
on June 25.
The church paid one of Woodcock's victims, Terry Carter, $45,000 compensation
in October 2001 and an additional $5000 was paid towards his counselling,
Father O'Hagan, head of the Society of Mary in
"Of Mr Woodcock's victims who have approached us, I think we have reached
a reasonably satisfactory conclusion with eight of them," he said.
Two other victims had made complaints to police but had not been in contact
with the church, he said.
It was church policy not to give details of compensation paid to the victims
unless the individuals had decided otherwise, as Mr Carter had done, he said.
"Some of (the victims) received monetary compensation, some of them have
been helped in other ways.
"Basically, we try to listen to each person because money in itself I
don't think solves the problem."
The church has worked with some victims' families, and tried to regain their
faith in the church, he said.
"Most of all I think it's good they can tell
their story and be heard."
Woodcock was extradited from
Documents have revealed the church knew before it appointed Woodcock to St
Patrick's that he had been convicted of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old in
Correspondence obtained by The Dominion Post shows the church knew of the
incident even before he was convicted. The Society of Mary's then Provincial,
Noel Delaney, wrote to the court offering church support for Woodcock.
The church moved him from
Court documents show that at St Patrick's Woodcock made friends with boys,
offered cigarettes and enticed them to his bedroom, where he performed indecent
acts on them. One victim said his sexual appetite was "voracious" and
"rampant".
After several students complained of abuse, the school advised Woodcock to get
a passport.
It also set up a list of rules he had to follow, such as not having boys in his
bedroom with the door closed "unless the visit is of a confessional nature
or a similarly private matter". At the end of that year he was moved to Highden noviciate in Palmerston North.
Fr O'Hagan said he deeply regretted what had happened, and that child abuse was
much better understood now than when Woodcock was offending.
Studies had highlighted the recidivist nature of some abuse, which had been
little understood, especially in the Catholic Church, which had viewed it
simply as a sin.
"With the wisdom of hindsight, we can see how inadequate the response was
at the time of Mr Woodcock's offending and at the time people acted according
to the expert advice (on sex offending) they received. Sadly that was
inadequate."