BRITAIN
Scotsman
STEPHEN MCGINTY
A CONVICTED paedophile is to sue the Catholic Church in England and Wales for thousands of pounds in damages, claiming that the abuse he suffered as a teenager at the hands of a priest turned him into a sex offender.
In a civil case which will be the first of its kind in Britain, the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is blaming the Church for beginning a cycle of abuse that led to him being sentenced to five years for sexually abusing three children.
If successful, the legal action could set a precedent, and open the doors to other lawsuits. In recent years the Catholic Church in England and Wales has paid out over £1 million in compensation to the victims of sexual abuse by priests.
However the Church has dismissed the threat of legal action and insisted that a police investigation into the man's claims was dropped following a four-month inquiry. The priest also was subject to a risk assessment by the diocese where he is still performing his duties.
The convicted paedophile said: "I too had become an abuser of the worst kind - a paedophile. I groomed my victims in the same way as a Catholic priest groomed me. I know that this man has other victims simply because I'm a paedophile, just like he is."