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Abuse victim tells Royal Commission ‘boys at boarding schools are at risk’
A man abused while at a Catholic boarding school in the early 1950s says he is not convinced the church’s approach to dealing with abuse has changed at all.
The 81-year old Mr F did not tell anyone of the abuse he suffered for 49-years.
On Tuesday he gave evidence to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
At age 14 and in his first year at St Patrick’s College in Silverstream, he was groomed by the rector, Fr Frank Durning.
He said after a few weeks, Durning called him into his office and sexually assaulted him.
When I was inside he grabbed me. This was despite my attempts to hold him off with my knees and elbows. He became more and more excited and repeated the words over and over: ‘I don’t know what to make of you’. The attack went on for a long time. He eventually said, ‘whip it out and let’s have a look’.