Birmingham's Former Youth Mayor Reveals He Was Abused by Paedophile Priest
By Mike Lockley
BIRMINGHAM'S first youth mayor, who openly criticised the quest for justice by victims of Britain's most evil perverted priest, last night admitted: I'm so sorry – I was so wrong. In an emotional phone call to the Sunday Mercury Patrick Mullins confessed he himself was among scores of vulnerable orphans abused by predatory paedophile Father Eric Taylor. Patrick, who moved to Perth, Western Australia, 40 years ago, said: "That man didn't believe in God, he only believed in little boys. That is all he believed in. "The judge called him a disgrace to the cloth. That is an understatement. He was Britain's worst ever paedophile" It is a remarkable U-turn by the 62-year-old who was feted by Prime Minister Ted Heath, and visited 10 Downing Street as a leading light in the Young Conservatives. Like the victims who have previously spoken out, Patrick spent his childhood as an orphan at Father Hudson's Homes in Coleshill, Warwickshire, where Taylor launched his campaign of terror. But he infamously hit out at former childhood friends who sought compensation for the abuse they suffered at the hands of the twisted cleric, saying: "The Church is not responsible for the sufferings of orphans that it rescued in the first place. "I hope they don't get a penny." During the perverted priest's trial, he stood by Taylor and the nuns who shielded the vile cleric. An open letter in the Mercury sister newspaper, the Birmingham Mail, condemning those seeking compensation, sparked a storm. Now, Patrick wants to apologise for those comments – and admits that he, too, was a victim. "Taylor was the UK's worst sexual abuser," he said. "At a conservative estimate he preyed on more than 100 boys – and that included myself. "The nuns definitely knew of his sexual attachment to the boys and turned a blind eye to it, he being a priest. He was regarded almost as a god. "I worked in the presbytery where he lived, across the road from the homes, for five years as an errand boy. "He was a psychopath. He had no empathy for his victims; he felt no guilt. He was a predator in the strictest sense of the word. I used to see him hiding behind walls waiting for boys. He had his hunting ground. "I can go on and on but, above all, I want to apologise to the boys I never supported in their ten-year battle to get justice. "Around £500,000 has been paid to date in compensation. I don't want a penny because it didn't damage me. The only thing that damaged me was my mother leaving me in an institution for my childhood life. It was all I knew and I feel I had a very happy childhood. I have no bitterness or regrets. "If I had, how would I have become Birmingham's first Youth Lord Mayor? "No, life has been very good to me. In Australia, I put my past behind me and started a new life. Being a ten pound Pom, I was very, very lucky." Taylor routinely preyed on children in his care from the late 1950s to mid 60s. Those victims, many of whom are still tormented by the abuse they suffered, had to wait until 1998 for the beast, who hid behind the Bible, to be sentenced to seven years imprinsonment at Warwick Crown Court. Taylor, who converted to Roman Catholicism as a prisoner of war in Austria, was found guilty of 16 indecent assaults and two other serious sex offences. He died in Risley Prison, Warrington, three years later, at the age of 81. In 2009 the Sunday Mercury revealed a catalogue of further shocking allegations from 11 people who reported sexual and physical abuse by priests and nuns, yet only Taylor has ever been convicted of abusing children at the home. We also told how one abuse victim, who did not wish to be named, feared youngsters were singled out for forced emigration to Australia in the 1930s. Despite the abuse he suffered, Patrick – known to friends as Paddy – went on to become a leading Tory activist, rubbing shoulders with such political heavyweights as Prime Minister Edward Heath. He pursued politics as a young adult, and his work with the Conservative Party earned him the honour of being named Birmingham's first Youth Lord Mayor in 1968. The honour was handed to him, amid an explosion of press-pack flashbulbs, by Trevor Burton, guitarist for chart-toppers The Move during a glitzy civic ceremony. He views his time in Catholic care as happy, has retained his faith and is at pains to point out he has not been scarred by the ordeal. He can forgive the church, but he struggles to forgive his Irish mother, now deceased, who handed him over. "Many years later, I tracked her down," he revealed. "She was in a slum in Alum Rock. That did break my bloody heart." Patrick was at the home from 1952 to 1964, earning the privileged position of errand-runner for the nuns. He became close to one, Sister Margaret, who he still refers to her as his 'mother'. Her recent death has played a large part in his belated confession. "She was like a mother to me," he said. "Her death has influenced me to speak out. I think she is the last of the nuns who were at the home to die." Patrick moved from Moseley in Birmingham to Australia in 1970. He carved out a career in the Attorney General's office Down Under and also worked for a local newspaper. Now divorced, he said: "It was the best thing I ever did. It's a beautiful country. If not, I would've been sucked into all the s**t that happened." Patrick steadfastly rebuffed calls to join the clamour by victims for justice. Speaking further about his bitter regret, he said: "At the time I believed the emotional problems they suffered were caused by what happened before they went into the home, not what happened while they were there. "That was wrong. For that, I apologise. "I don't want a cent, but of course they deserved the money. They were victims." Patrick, however, has one message to the band of orphans whose boyhood was betrayed by Taylor: "It is time to move on, as I have. Because if you do not move on, it will destroy you." On hearing about Patrick's apology, his former orphanage room-mate Danny Mackle, who was also abused by Taylor, said he was pleased that Patrick had had a change of heart. Danny, from Solihull, said: "I am really pleased he has said that. I bear Paddy no ill-will. "I'm pleased he has spoken about the abuse he suffered. I'm pleased he has seen the light of day. I bear no grudge. "He was one of the nuns' favourites. Polly's Pets we called them. "I think he was trying to protect the good name of Father Hudson's homes. There were many like him, to be honest. He was in denial." Contact: mike.lockley@trinitymirror.com
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