Ex-pupil of Catholic School at Centre of Sex Abuse Probe Tells How Paedo Clerics Would Prowl Dormitories at Night Looking for Victims

By James Moncur
Daily Record
May 22, 2014

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/ex-pupil-catholic-school-centre-sex-3586375

Brother Gerry Ryan of St Ninian's in Falkland surrounded by a group of boys

A FORMER pupil of a boarding school at the centre of a child abuse probe yesterday revealed Christian Brothers prowled dormitories at night hunting for victims.

George Clark came forward after the Record told how youngster Dave Sharp was raped by Brother Gerry Ryan at St Ninians School, Fife, and trafficked to Ireland for further abuse by more men.

We then revealed six men in their 60s and 70s had been arrested and charged with multiple complaints of physical and sexual abuse at the school between January 1978 and July 1983.

Yesterday, George recalled that night-times were the worst when Brothers stalked the dormitories, which had six to eight youngsters in them.

George Clark has told of pupils' agony

He said: “Me and my brother could look after ourselves and were left well alone. But at night we’d hear brothers sneaking into the dormitories and abusing some of the smaller and more vulnerable lads.

“We had an unwritten rule that if they ever came for us we would look out for each other and fight them off.”

The 64-year-old, of Dundee, was at St Ninians in the 60s with his brother and has “horrible memories” of his time there.

He added: “I want to support David as much as I can. St Ninians was a truly horrible place. The kids there had done nothing wrong and didn’t deserve what happened. We were denied everything and were exposed to the worst education and treatment you could find.

“There has to now be a national inquiry into St Ninians and other institutions like it across Scotland where young boys were allowed to be exposed to these men.”

David Sharp told of the horrors he suffered at the hands of a priest

George is one of a growing group of former residents to tell of their time at St Ninians, near Falkland, which was run by the Christian Brothers.

The ex-pupils have come forward with more nightmare allegations of rapes, assaults and bullying.

They contacted us after we revealed the extent of the abuse in the 60s, 70s and 80s and told how David was repeatedly raped and beaten by Ryan while he was a pupil there from age 10 to 16.

The 55-year-old, who now lives in England, said Ryan, who has since died, trafficked him to Ireland to be raped by five men. He believes some of his rapists were priests.

When David learned of the arrests – part of Operation Winterton – he said: “I’m delighted police have made these arrests and charged these men. But victims and survivors of the abuse at deserve a full national inquiry into how the state allowed these horrific crimes to happen.

“This has got just as much to do with the social work, police, judiciary and government as it has the church. Hopefully, this will be the trigger to finally get something done.”

Six men charged over alleged child abuse at school run by notorious Christian Brothers order

'HE ONLY PICKED ON WEE ONES'

Derek Harvey, from Edinburgh, who was at St Ninians between 1968 and 1971, supplied the photograph of Ryan with the school football team.

The 58-year-old told us: “I do remember Brother Ryan. Every night all the young boys, the first and second years, would be in his room, maybe 15 or 20 of them. They would be sitting on his knee.

"He was a strange person, you didn’t mess with him. He had a temper on him. I got left alone because I was quite a big lad and played football – he only ever picked on the smaller boys.”

'I WAS GROPED EVERY NIGHT'

A former St Ninians pupil, who wished to remain nameless, told how he, too, was abused by paedophile Brother Gerry Ryan.

The victim, who we’ll call Robert, told us: “I, too, was abused by this man on a daily basis. Being a bedwetter, I was subjected to nightly checks by him where he would slip his hands under the covers and grope me.

“Then I would be taken down to the showers to wash the bedding and be subjected to a cold shower where he would stand and stare at me while playing with himself through his trousers.

“We used to be taken into his room for an hour or so before bedtime to listen to music on the radio where he would sit us on his knee and bounce his legs while having an erection .

“There was certain lads that had a single room who no doubt suffered at the hands of this monster. I am glad to hear he is dead but only wish he had paid for his crimes.”

'THERE WAS LITTLE I COULD DO ABOUT IT'

Another victim, now 49, was forced to leave Scotland to get away from his St Ninians nightmares.

The man, who we will call Steven, is living in London and detailed his hell in a 42-page statement to police detectives three months ago.

He was just 12 when he arrived at St Ninians and was there from 1976-1979. Like David, he also describes being flown to Ireland with one of the Christian Brothers.

Steven said: “I suffered exactly the same type of sexual abuse as David and apart, from the police, haven’t really told anyone about it. I’m not in a good enough place at the moment. I was sexually abused and there was very little I could do about it. I was taken to Ireland just like David but I wasn’t daft. I knew there was something going on and I managed to escape the house before anything happened.

“I have given the police a big statement and told them everything. All I want is justice and a full inquiry into how the government allowed this to happen.”