Daniel Curran Victim's Life of Nightmares

BBC News
February 29, 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17208691

Daniel Curran has been convicted four times of abusing young boys

A victim of paedophile priest Daniel Curran has said he has had nightmares about him since his childhood abuse.

On Wednesday, Curran was sentenced to four years in prison for indecently assaulting two young boys.

It is the fourth time he has been sentenced for sex offences against boys.

One of the victims in the latest case - who did not want to be identified - told the BBC of the impact of the abuse.

"It's been very traumatic, because you would spend your life in doubt, you would spend your life in fear, you spend your whole life questioning yourself, doubting your ability, you feel dirty.

"I've had nightmares most of my life about this man," he said.

The man said he was abused by the priest at his family's cottage near Tyrella Beach in County Down.

"What he would usually do is go round during the day time and speak to parents and inform them that he was going to take the altar boys overnight down to his cottage," he said.

"He would randomly select a few altar boys and take them down overnight.

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You knew back then that no-one would have trusted you, no-one would have believed you that this was going on"

Abuse victim

"This paedophile built a trusting relationship with my grandparents.

"This was his work that he was systematically carrying out to infiltrate the trust of my family in order to gain access to me."

The abuse went on for four to five years, between 1989 and 1994.

The man told the BBC that coming forward in those days was difficult.

"Back then, being a Catholic and having a strong religious background you would never be able to go and tell anyone because you knew that it was wrong," he said.

"You knew back then that no-one would have trusted you, no-one would have believed you that this was going on. You didn't know any different, you thought it was only you."

He said as as he got older he realised there were other people coming forward to "bring their predators to justice".

"I was in doubt about how I was going to be able to bring my predator to justice and from speaking to people and getting information I was able to go and speak to the local authorities and to lodge a complaint," he said.

"I would actively like to encourage other victims of clerical abuse or any form of abuse to come forward."

He said Wednesday's sentence had come as a relief.

"I feel that the truth has eventually come out," he said.