St Ninian’s: Farrell (73) & Kelly (64) were found guilty of abusing boys.

(First published Dec 3rd 2015 | Last Updated 17th Aug 2016)

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Aug 13th 2016

What are the long term consequences for survivors of child abuse?

As two men are jailed for abuse at the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland, Fife, what are the long term consequences for survivors of child abuse as they move into adulthood? Michael Alexander spoke to some of the survivors to find out.

It was the day that the headmaster and a teacher of a former Fife school for troubled boys were finally convicted of physical and sexual abuse against six pupils more than 30 years ago.

John Farrell, 73, and Paul Kelly, 64, were sentenced to five and 10 years respectively for assaulting vulnerable pupils at St Ninian’s in Falkland, Fife, which was run by the worldwide Congregation of Christian Brothers

The pair abused the boys – many who already had a chaotic upbringing and whom they should have been protecting – to satisfy their depraved needs.

Former head master John Farrell, 73, from Motherwell jailed for five years

On Friday August 12 at the High Court in Glasgow, judge Lord Matthews said they had committed a “gross abuse of trust”

But away from the headlines, what are the long term consequences for victims, and how extensive has institutional abuse been?

With seemingly no end of historic abuse cases hitting the headlines across Britain, it’s unlikely to be the last we hear of St Ninian’s.A series of hearings run by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry are due to start in November. The inquiry, set up in October last year, will look into the abuse of children in care across Scotland. The Inquiry will report to Scottish Government Ministers within four years with recommendations for the future to improve the law, policies and practices in Scotland.

Former teacher Paul Kelly, 64, of Plymouth jailed for 10 years

Traumatic

According to Victim Support Scotland – an independent charity whose trained staff and volunteers specifically help victims of crime – the impact of child abuse on many adult survivors can be hugely traumatic and devastating.

A spokesperson told The Courier: “Whilst individual coping mechanisms can vary, the long term effects of abuse for many victims can involve physical, behavioural, social and psychological issues. For some these can be debilitating and can lead to depression, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts or self-harm. For others their coping mechanism may be to rely on drugs and drink. Many may well also have to cope with the pain of injuries or live with the physical effects of scarring.”

One man who knows only too well the long term consequences of abuse is Dave Sharp, 57 – a former St Ninian’s resident from 1970 to 1976, now living in England – who has been fighting for justice for nearly 20 years.

Dave Sharp

He didn’t give testimony in court because the man who raped him at Falkland, Father Gerry Ryan, is dead.

Last September he was awarded a pay out from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for the crimes committed against him.

But whilst he is delighted with the sentencing, he still wants to hear a “meaningful apology” from the Catholic Church and the Christian Brothers and is organising a national campaign to try and achieve this. He said dozens, if not hundreds of men in Scotland have had their lives “shattered” by such abuse.

Concrete slabs

He told The Courier: “For victims of historic abuse like this, we live with concrete slabs in our hearts. It weighs down every part of our lives. The Christian Brotherhood and Catholic Church know this and only they can take the slab out.”

Dave, who claims he was trafficked to Ireland and drugged then raped by multiple men whilst in the care of the Christian Brothers, says that recent media covered “does not begin to tell of the horrors” that went on in St Ninian’s and other institutions in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

He says that even to this day, he hasn’t come to terms with the bullying by gangs or the sexual and mental abuse he says he suffered at the hands of at least one priest. 

The former St Ninian’s School in Falkland.

“It is very difficult to talk about the flashbacks that continue throughout the life of victims and throughout my life I have been very badly affected by the events of my childhood,” he said.

“One of the most difficult things to talk about for victims is the affect that the actual grooming has on their life and the guilt and the shame of actually at some stage enjoying what was happening because these people are so good at convincing you that what you are doing is right and proper.”

Dave, who blames the anger he carried around his whole life for a 20-year drug addiction and at least two spells in prison, said that only by becoming a Christian has he managed to “forgive” his abusers.

Sickening

But he added: “I know that my life has been affected by the horrible things that went on in that place as well as a sickening run of bad luck in my life. I have to say that my memories are very much distorted and just like most victims of child abuse I have actually questioned if these things really did happen. I think I can safely say that my saving grace is the fact that I became a Christian and through the power of God found the strength to forgive the people that done the terrible things to me. But the fight goes on. The Catholic Church tells us they send their love. But I feel victims have been abandoned and we need the public to realise that. “

Basement cellar at former St Ninian’s School

Another man still traumatised by his experiences at St Ninian’s is Edinburgh-born grandfather Jon Swanson, 64, now of Livingston.

He resided at the school from 1964 to 1966 – long before the allegations associated with this particular court case – but recalls the regime as “brutal” even then.

Separated from his brother, he was sent there having been shifted around various residential homes from birth, and then later being badly beaten at home by his father.

“Falkland was brutal – the beatings, the abuse – just everything,” he told The Courier. I got the belt there quite a lot, for anything – the slightest little thing like talking. But we were young boys. We wanted a bit of a carry on.”

Jon, who recently gave evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, said some of the Christian Brothers would come into the dormitories at night and check for “bed wetters”.
“I was a prolific bed wetter,” recalled Jon, who has been interviewed by police but has not yet had his case taken to court.

Entrance hall to former St Ninian’s School

“They used to come in and feel under the sheets. There was no need for the Brothers to put their hands where they did. They were feeling inside. That was abuse as far as I was concerned. I didn’t respond to them. I just froze with fear.”
Aged 14, Jon was moved into a working men’s hostel in Edinburgh. But with no support and a feeling that the hostel was inappropriate for a 14 year old, he “went homeless” on the streets of Edinburgh.

He stole from shops to survive and was caught several times. With no fixed abode, no friends, and running the gauntlet of life on the streets, he was sent to Polmont borstal aged 16 and drifted in and out of prison thereafter.

“I was anti-social, anti-authority and trusted nobody,” he added.

Shoplifting

But as he got older he became determined to turn his life around and during one shoplifting spree, he met the woman to whom he has now been married for 40 years.

“I met my Mrs whilst stealing from a shop in Edinburgh, “ he revealed. “She knew I was thieving but she never bothered. We got speaking. She’s my rock now. We’ve been through a lot together. But I still suffer by what happened – and so do my family.”

Jon, now a father of three and grandfather, is pleased that there have been convictions linked to Falkland. Having blocked out the memories over the years, he is pleased to have been able to get his experiences “off my chest”. He has also had many meetings with other survivors.

But he reckons the Falkland convictions are just the “tip of the iceberg” and he has yet been able to find closure.

“The place was full of it,” he said. “I would hate to think the others have got away with it. We’ve had to suffer all our lives. It’s not been easy. It’s been a struggle. The whole system was wrong and I want answers. They took 14 years away I don’t get back. But it’s been my whole life. People say to me ‘why do you never smile’? I say ‘I can’t help it’.”

Award winning Falkland House School in Falkland today. It is completely unrelated to the long closed St Ninian’s School

Today, the former St Ninian’s School building is occupied by the completely unrelated and award winning Falkland House School. For visitors walking past the splendid mansion set amid the stunning landscape of Falkland Estate, at the foot of the East Lomond, it’s difficult to comprehend what went on there all those years ago.

Most Falkland residents are shocked that the Christian Brothers regime was responsible for such heinous and depraved acts. Yet according to one businessman who asked not to be identified, some in the community remain “in denial” about what happened.

Rumours

“Some older people tell me there were rumours as far back as 1960 about what was going on at the school, but nobody ever did anything about it because the Brotherhood were seen as ‘untouchable’ in  those days,” he said.

Falkland Fife councillor David MacDiarmid has lived in the village for 25 years.

He revealed that one of his first cases when he became a councillor in 2007 involved a former pupil from St Ninian’s who claimed he had been gang-raped by two pupils in woods surrounding the school decades earlier.

Fife Councillor David MacDiarmid.

He agreed to meet the former pupil at Fife House in Glenrothes.

“He then poured his heart out to me,” recalled the councillor, “telling me things I didn’t want to know. Effectively he had been gang raped by two pupils in the woods surrounding the school. He named both the pupils, one whose whereabouts was unknown and the other I believe was living in Dundee. He travelled from the Glasgow area by bus to tell me this story, and despite his obvious grief had been in mainstream schooling and was doing well.”

Police

Councillor MacDiarmid was in contact with him a few times after that trying to set up a meeting with the police. He was then advised by a fellow councillor to drop the case and leave it to the police.

“To be honest I was totally out of my depth,” he recalled. “As time goes on and more and more cases are exposed, I often think of him and wished that I had ignored the advice given to me.”

The councillor said if he had been asked for a comment about St Ninian’s 25 years ago, it would be of “utter disbelief”.
“Unfortunately over the last 10 years or so,” he added, “we have been bombarded with historical abuse cases, not only involving the many priests that have been found and charged, but cases involving other people that were trusted mostly by the public, namely television and radio “personalities” Have we not become a wee bit sanitised by it all now, to the extent that almost nothing shocks us anymore?”  SOURCE

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Aug 12th 2016

St Ninian’s paedophiles destroyed our lives  Scottish Daily Record  12 Aug 2016

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Two jailed in Glasgow for historic child abuse at school

Two men who sexually abused boys at a Catholic-run school in the 1970s and 80s have been jailed.

John Farrell, 73, and Paul Kelly, 64, were found guilty of several charges against six former pupils of St Ninian’s School in Falkland, Fife, after a lengthy trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

The prosecution followed one of the biggest abuse inquiries of its kind ever carried out by Police Scotland.

Kelly, from Plymouth, Devon, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars for four counts of indecent assault and two assault charges at the school, which was run by members of the Catholic religious order the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

During their trial Kelly’s bedroom was described as an “open area” where pupils often spent the night.

Farrell from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, was jailed for five years after being convicted of three counts of indecent assault.

Boys said they were told by Kelly they were being abused for their “sexual education”

John Farrell

The trial heard how one victim – still traumatised by the abuse – traced Farrell in the 1990s.

He went to confront him armed with a knife – but luckily did not resort to violence.

An initial police investigation between 2000 and 2002 resulted in no charges.

But, the same haunted victim continued to fight for justice. It was around 2013 that detectives set up a huge probe into abuse at St Ninian’s. SOURCE

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Christian Brothers jailed for abusing boys at Fife school

• Former teachers jailed for abusing boys at Fife residential school
• Pair jailed for abuse of pupils at Catholic-run school in Fife
• Sex abuse Plymouth teacher jailed for 10 years
• Former Devon teacher Paul Kelly jailed for 10 years for sexually abusing boys

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Aug 7th 2016

St Ninian’s abuse survivor holds poignant vigil to remember victims August 7th 2016

Dave Sharp

July 22nd 2016  Daily Record

THE headmaster and teacher of a former school for troubled boys have been convicted of physical and sexual abuse against six pupils more than 30 years ago.

John Farrell, 73, and Paul Kelly, 64, preyed on youngsters at St Ninian’s in Fife, which was run by the catholic Christian Brothers organisation.

The pair abused the boys – many who already had a chaotic upbringing and whom they should have been protecting – to satisfy their depraved needs.

Farrell, who was the headmaster, was convicted of physically abusing one boy and sexually abusing three others.

Kelly was found guilty of sexually abusing two boys and sexually and physically abusing a third.

One of the victims was sexually abused by both men on different occasions.

The victims were abused between 1979 and 1983 when they were aged between 11 and 15.

A jury heard harrowing claims of how boys were left traumatised by their ordeals at the List G school.

St Ninian’s School in Falkland

The paedophiles cheated justice for decades – with Farrell even going on to become a priest.

But, the tenacity of one victim – determined to see the pair in the dock – sparked a huge police probe into the abuse.

This man, who was sexually abused by Farrell, refused to give up and an investigation was finally launched after he went to the Archdiocese and made a formal complaint in 2013. The probe uncovered many more complainers.

Today at the High Court in Glasgow Farrell and Kelly were convicted after a 13-week trial of a total of 11charges involving six victims The other 22 charges they faced, involving another 18 alleged victims, were found not guilty or not proven by the jury of 14.

Farrell and Kelly – who both denied all charges – were remanded in custody pending sentencing next month.

Child abuse investigators urge victims and witnesses to come forward as time limit for suing is removed

Their defence QCs Edward Targowski and Mhairi Richards asked for bail for the accused, who are both first offenders, but were refused.

Judge Lord Matthews said: “I take on board what you say, but they have been convicted of very serious matters. I am not prepared to grant bail.”

Three other men linked to St Ninian’s – ex-social worker Michael Murphy, 75, Edward Egan, 76, and William Don, 62 – had also faced abuse allegations, but these were thrown out during the trial.

Boys at the school in Falkland had mainly troubled childhoods. One pupil who became a victim was a heroin user at just 12.

Farrell was schooled by the brotherhood and went on to become a teacher “inspired” by the organisation’s “aims”.

He moved to St Ninian’s around 1977 after spells in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The school’s Brother Gerry Ryan was also at the centre of abuse claims

Farrell became headteacher replacing Brother Gerry Ryan, who later died, but who was also at the centre of abuse claims.

Farrell was held in such high esteem one pupil’s mum described him as the “Archbishop of Fife”.

He insisted he had a “positive philosophy” at the school.

Dublin-born Farrell told the jury: “Staff bought into what I was trying to do.”

Kelly was sent to St Ninian’s by the Christian Brothers from a school in Plymouth, Devon.

Kelly – who taught a number of subjects including religious studies and sport – went on to become a house-master.

Farrell claimed he was “kind to all pupils,” but he and Kelly used their positions of authority to abused pupils

Kelly’s bedroom was described as an “open area” where pupils often spent the night.

Boys said they were told by Kelly they were being abused for their “sexual education”.

Kelly in evidence told the jury: “I have never sexually molested anyone.”

Denying he targeted boys, he instead claimed he “spent free time reading Tolkein”.

But, prosecutor Kath Harper later asked him: “Did you really think having boys sleep in your room would be approved of in general terms?”

Kelly: “No, but at St Ninian’s I just thought of it as the way it was.”

Farrell, now of Newarthill, North Lanarkshire, was also a predator who abused his power at the school.

Farrell initially moved to England when St Ninian’s shut, but soon returned to Scotland where he was ordained as a priest.

House of Falkland formerly St Ninian’s School

Hewent on to be based at a number of chapels across Lanarkshire latterly in Strathaven.

He was also a chaplain at one time of tough HMP Shotts.

Farrell retired from the priesthood in 2012 on “health grounds” before initially uprooting to West Sussex.

He denied being a child abuser – insisting he had stuck to a vow of celibacy made when he joined the Christian Brothers. He also has a defence of alibi for some of the charges.

Kelly left the Christian Brothers, but is believed to have remained teaching in England for a time.

Quizzed about allegations made against him, prosecutor Miss Harper said they would be “remarkable” to make up.

Kelly, now of Plymouth, told the jury: “It is remarkable – it is very shocking.”

The trial heard how one victim – still traumatised by the abuse – traced Farrell in the 1990s.

He went to confront him armed with a knife – but luckily did not resort to violence.

An initial police investigation between 2000 and 2002 resulted in no charges.

But, the same haunted victim continued to fight for justice. It was around 2013 that detectives set up a huge probe into abuse at St Ninian’s.

This resulted in more alleged victims coming forward.

Prosecutors had originally listed more than 100 charges involving 35 boys.

Farrell and Kelly were both place on the sex offenders’ register.

READ MORE

Ex-pupil of Catholic school at centre of sex abuse probe tells how paedo clerics would prowl dormitories at night looking for victims

Survivors of historic child abuse slam ministers for failing to commit to full-scale public inquiry into scandal

Source DailyRecord

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Two men found guilty of sexually abusing and assaulting boys at Catholic-run school in 70s and 80s   2pm July 22nd 2016

May 14th 2016

April 25th 2016

Man tells Fife Christian Brothers abuse trial he woke up without pyjama bottoms
 April 25 2016

A former pupil at a Christian Brothers school in Fife told a jury he remembered waking up in his dormitory with no pyjama bottoms on.

The 50-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told prosecutor Kath Harper: “I woke up on one occasion, no in fact two occasions with no jammie bottoms on. They were on the floor.”

When asked if he put them on the floor himself, the man replied: “No.”

Miss Harper asked: “Did you feel anything unusual,” he replied: “I was erect.”

The man was giving evidence as the trial relating to allegations of historical child sexual abuse at St Ninian’s School in Falkland continued at the High Court in Glasgow.

John Farrell, who was a Christian Brother, denies indecently assaulting the man – when he was aged between 13 and 16 – on various occasions between March 3, 1980 and May 28, 1982, by removing his lower clothing when he was sleeping and handling his private parts.

The witness added: “On one occasion I felt someone sitting by my bedside. It was very dark. But the hall lights were on and I could see a shadow.”

The man said he got up after about five minutes put his bottoms on and went to the toilet. He added: “When I came back Brother Farrell was standing there.”

He added that he had noticed a “damp, fusty beer smell,” and was asked what he connected that smell with and replied: “Brother Farrell.

The man also claimed that Farrell struck him with a belt.

Under cross-examination by Edward Targowski QC, representing Farrell, the man agreed that he had visited Farrell in hospital in 1993 when he had had a heart bypass, and a few years later had had him as a guest at his wedding.

Mr Targowski said: “You can’t have thought he had sexually assaulted you if you visited him in hospital,” and the man answered: “It was always at the back of my mind. I always wondered if it was a dream or real.”

The QC then said: “As far as Brother Farrell is concerned he never sexually assaulted you at all,” and the man replied: “Not true.”

Farrell also denies striking the boy with a belt on his body on one occasion between March 1980 and May 1982.

Co-accused William Don, a gym teacher at the school, denies assaulting the man between March 1980 and May 1982 by striking him with a flag pole and a hockey stick.

The witness claimed that he had been hit once by Don, then said it was twice.

He added: “He grabbed me by the privates and hit me with a corner flagpole, or a cricket bat or a hockey stick.”

The man agreed with defence counsel Laura Thomson, representing Don, that he had given a number of accounts of what he alleged happened.

Miss Thomson said: “Not all your stories can be correct,” and he replied: “It was once or twice. I can’t remember, but I was hit.”

John Farrell, 73, Paul Kelly, 63, Edward Egan, 78, Michael Murphy, 76, and William Don, 61, are accused of physically and sexually abusing boys at the former St Ninian’s.

They deny the charges against them. The trial before judge Lord Matthews continues.

Related Content
Fife Christian Brothers trial: Detective reveals previous investigation
Fife Christian Brothers trial: Teacher says she saw no evidence of abuse

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Court hears of investigation into alleged historical sexual abuse by Plymouth teacher and four colleagues  April 25, 2016

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14th April 2016

FIVE MEN GO ON TRIAL OVER HISTORIC ABUSE OF BOYS AT FIFE RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL

Five men have gone on trial at the High Court in Glasgow over the historic abuse of boys at a residential school in Fife between 1967 and 1983.

The men are charged with abusing the boys who were aged between 11 and 16 at the former St Ninian’s School (pictured) in Falkland. The school was run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers – a religious order of the Catholic Church.

The accused, John Farrell, 73, Paul Kelly, 63, Edward Egan, 78, Michael Murphy, 76, and William Don, 61, denied the all 121 charges involving sexual and physical abuse.

The Crown claim that a total of 35 boys were brutally sexually assaulted and beaten with a variety of implements, including shoes, belts and ropes.

John Farrell faces charges of indecently assaulting a 12-year-old boy by simulating sex with him and forcing a pair of underpants into his mouth to prevent him screaming. He also faces a charge he indecently assaulted a boy at a monastery on the isle of Iona is said to have attacked the same boy at a Catholic church in Motherwell.

Paul Kelly is accused of stripping a 13-year-old boy and leaving him rolled up in said rug against a pillar in the main hallway of the school overnight striking him on the head and body. He is also said to have stripped another pupil and hung him upside down from a bridge. “unnatural carnal connection” with a boy

Farrell, who is represented by QC Edward Targowski, lodged a special defence of alibi and Don, who is represented by advocate Laura Thomson, lodged special defences of alibi and incrimination.

Farrell, Kelly and Egan were Christian Brothers at the time of the offences while Murphy – previously a Christian Brother – was a social worker and Don a physical education teacher.

Dozens of witnesses are expected to give evidence during the trial which is expected to last between 12 and 14 weeks.

http://www.careappointments.co.uk/care-news/scotland/item/39439-five-men-go-on-trial-over-historic-abuse-of-boys-at-fife-residential-school

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April 13th 2016

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-36038468

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Five men in dock accused of sexually abusing boys at school in Fife over sixteen year period  13th APR 2016 

THE men, aged between 61 and 78, are accused of a string of charges involving the physical and sexual abuse of 35 victims.

FIVE men went on trial yesterday accused of sexually and physically abusing boys in their care at a school between 1967 and 1983.

It’s claimed they attacked pupils aged 11 to 16 at the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland, Fife. There are 121 charges on the indictment involving abuse, and prosecutors say there were 35 victims.

Many ex-pupils claim they were assaulted with implements, including shoes, a belt and a ruler.

John Farrell, 73, Paul Kelly, 63, Edward Egan, 78, Michael Murphy, 76, and William Don, 61, deny all the charges they face.

Most of the allegations are against Kelly and Farrell. Kelly is alleged to have left a boy of 13 rolled up in a rug overnight, and to have stripped another pupil and hung him upside-down from a bridge.

Farrell is accused, among other charges, of indecently assaulting a 12-year-old by simulating sex with him and forcing a pair of underpants into his mouth to stop him screaming.

He is also accused of indecently assaulting a boy at a monastery on Iona in the early 80s, and of attacking the same alleged victim at a Catholic church in Motherwell in 1999.

Farrell has lodged a special defence of alibi, while Don claims alibi and incrimination.

Judge Lord Matthews told the jury of nine men and six women that it is expected to last between 12 and 14 weeks.  http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/five-men-dock-accused-sexually-7750502#EmSaO2XvJcstkUce.99

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July 1st 2015

 ABUSE TEACHER LIED TO GET JOB AT KIDS CHARITY; THE DE LA SALLE

20 May 2015

Five in court over abuse claims at St Ninian’s School in Falkland 

Five men have appeared in court facing allegations of abusing pupils at a school that was run by the Christian Brothers in Fife between 1970 and 1983. The men, aged between 61 and 77. are accused of physically and sexually abusing boys at the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland. All five pleaded not guilty to the charges at the High Court in Glasgow.

The accused are John Farrell, 72, Paul Kelly, 62, Edward Egan, 77, Michael Murphy, 75, and William Don, 61.

The 23-page indictment lists 131 charges involving more than 40 alleged victims. The Roman Catholic school was run by the Christian Brothers organisation until St Ninian’s closed in the 1980s.

Sexual attacks

Prosecutors allege a number of sexual attacks took place against pupils there.

Among others claims is an accusation that Mr Kelly left a young boy rolled up in a rug overnight. He is also said to have hung another pupil upside down from a bridge.

Mr Farrell faces a charge that in the early 1980s he indecently assaulted a boy at a monastery on the isle of Iona. He is further said to have attacked the same boy at a Catholic church in Motherwell in 1999.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-32815868

May 2015

July 2014

http://m.fifetoday.co.uk/news/local-headlines/five-face-trial-over-historic-falkland-school-abuse-charges-1-3888041

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June 2014

A Scot who says he was subjected to physical and sexual abuse at a residential school in Fife during the 1970s has spent the second of two days campaigning outside Holyrood.

David Sharp who was resident at the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland during the 1970s, is demanding a public inquiry into institutional abuse in Scotland.

Returning to Scotland for the first time in years, he stood outside the main entrance to the Scottish Parliament for two days in the rain with placards demanding that there is a full investigation into what went on at St Ninian’s and other homes which have been linked to physical and sexual child abuse.

One placard read: “Never mind the referendum — Look after your children first.”

Mr Sharp, 55, said: “I’ve stood here from 8am to 4pm in the rain. I’ve had members of the public coming up to me offering verbal support. I’ve been campaigning for 25 years but this is my first step towards making the Scottish Government aware that victims will not go away. I want the Scottish public to be aware.”

Mr Sharp said: “The response has been incredible.
“I’ve had so many people, around 20/30, in touch today alone who all say they were abused at different homes across Scotland. They all say they contacted their MSPs but have heard nothing back.”

Mr Sharp said he had so far been disappointed at the level of interest from politicians but said he would “never give up”.

He added: “I’ve sought legal advice and am also investigating taking my case to the European Court of Human Rights. I’ve been advised this is the way to go and that I have a very strong case. ”

Mr Sharp, who has described the catalogue of abuse as “Scotland’s shame”, has claimed he was abused at St Ninian’s — run by the Irish Christian Brothers — from the age of 10 by a now deceased man he knew as Christina Brother Ryan.

Mr Sharp, originally from Glasgow and now living in England, also told how he was trafficked to Ireland to be abused by up to five men.

Now he is demanding a full national inquiry into all institutional abuse across Scotland and wants the Government to waive the three-year time bar on civil cases to allow victims like him to have their voices heard in court.

Six men with links to a notorious Irish Catholic brotherhood have been arrested and charged in connection with multiple allegations of child abuse at St Ninian’s during the 1970s and 1980s.

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/fife/former-st-ninian-s-school-resident-goes-to-holyrood-to-call-for-abuse-inquiry-1.408333

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May 21st 2014

Six men with links to a notorious Irish Catholic brotherhood have been arrested and charged in connection with multiple allegations of child abuse at a residential school in Fife during the 1970s and 1980s.

The six men, now aged between 60 and 76, were spoken to by police as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse, beatings and mental torture at the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland.

The incidents are alleged to have taken place between January 1978 and July 1983.

A police spokesman confirmed: “Six men have been arrested and charged with multiple complaints of physical and sexual abuse at the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland, Fife in the 70s and 80s. This investigation remains live and ongoing.”

The Crown Office confirmed the procurator fiscal at Cupar had received reports concerning six males and the reports remained “under consideration” by the fiscal. It’s understood none of those involved are now resident in Fife.

St Ninian’s School, which has been closed since the early 1980s, was run by the Irish Christian Brothers.

The organisation has been heavily implicated in abuse scandals that have shaken the Catholic Church across the world.

The Courier contacted the Catholic Church but a spokesman said they did not wish to comment as the Irish Christian Brothers were a separate organisation. Efforts to contact the headquarters of the Irish Christian Brothers in Dublin were yesterday unsuccessful.

The Courier told on Saturday how a Scot who says he was subjected to abuse at St Ninians during the 1970s is demanding a public inquiry into institutional abuse in Scotland.

David Sharp, who has described the catalogue of abuse as “Scotland’s shame”, has also told how he was trafficked to Ireland to be raped by up to five men.

Mr Sharp, 55, originally from Glasgow and now living in England, said a now deceased man he knew as Christian Brother Ryan began preying on him when he was 10 and residing at St Ninian’s School in Falkland.

Mr Sharp said the abuse started when he had been at the Falkland school for less than a month — and it left him terrified to wake up each day.

In addition to Ryan’s sinister “love”, he said there was also violence carried out in a basement that had been converted into showers.

Mr Sharp says he was trafficked to Ireland when he had to spend his holidays at St Ninian’s and the other boys went home.

Now with the support of Labour MSP Graham Pearson, he is demanding a full national inquiry into all institutional abuse across Scotland and wants the government to waive the three-year time bar on civil cases to allow victims like him to have their voices heard in court.

He has also written an open letter to Community Safety and Legal Affairs Minister Roseanna Cunningham.

Mr Sharp is organising a march for justice from the Borders to Holyrood to highlight the alleged abuse.  http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/fife/six-arrested-in-investigation-into-alleged-abuse-at-fife-school-1.380585

2014

SOURCE dailyrecord

May 22nd 2014

2011

 21.07.11

2010

1.  23.01.10
2. OUTRAGE AS 7 OTHER DE LA SALLE SCHOOL TORTURERS 05.05.10
3.  18.05.10
4.  30.05.10
5.  12.05.10

2007

2005

 17.09.05

2004

1.  19.06.04
2.  23.10.04

2003

Abusers in court tomorrow   Jul 13, 2003 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/JUDGMENT+DAY%3B+Abusers+in+court+tomorrow.-a0105290648 

SOURCE theukdatabase

1.  07.06.03
2.  21.06.03
3.  12.07.03

2002

 07.09.02

2001

A group of men have appeared in court facing allegations of abusing pupils at a school that was run by the Christian Brothers in Fife between 1970 and 1983.

The five men, aged between 61 and 77. are accused of physically and sexually abusing boys at the former St Ninian’s School in Falkland.   All pleaded not guilty to the charges at the High Court in Glasgow.

The accused are John Farrell, 72, Paul Kelly, 62, Edward Egan, 77, Michael Murphy, 75, and William Don, 61.

The 23-page indictment lists 131 charges involving more than 40 alleged victims.   Prosecutors allege a number of sexual attacks took place against pupils at the school.   Among the claims is an accusation that Kelly left a young boy rolled up in a rug overnight.   He is said to have hung another pupil upside down from a bridge.  Farrell faces a charge that in the early 1980s he indecently assaulted a boy at a monastery on the isle of Iona.   He is further said to have attacked the same boy at a Catholic church in Motherwell in 1999.

Judge Lord Turnbull adjourned the case until a further hearing in July and no trial was set.  Members of an order of Roman Catholic monks have been accused of physically and sexually abusing boys at a residential school in Scotland, including giving them electric shocks by making them grasp the exposed wires of a generator, it emerged yesterday.  Police in Stirling confirmed that a report had been sent to the procurator fiscal after a three-year inquiry into St Ninian’s school at Gartmore in Stirlingshire, which was run by the De La Salle Brothers. Former pupils at the school, which closed in 1982, have alleged they were tortured, beaten and sexually molested by a number of the monks and civilian staff. A spokesman for the order said all the allegations were vigorously denied, and the home had been run in an “exemplary” manner.  A Glasgow lawyer has launched a parallel civil action against the De La Salle brothers on behalf of 11 former pupils of the school, which housed boys sent from children’s panels across Scotland who were deemed too disruptive to stay at home. http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jan/08/religion.childprotection

More from 2001

1.  07.01.01
2.  07.01.01
3.  21.01.01
4.  31.01.01
5.  18.03.01
6. 28.10.01

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1. A monk whipped me simply because I had hole in my shoe;
2. #Paedo Monk (82) Jailed For 7 Years For Abusing Boys At St Joseph’s School, Tranent (Michael Murphy AGAIN)
3. Special report: child protection
4. Special report: religion in the UK

W i l d C a t