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Children from St Francis Boys Home in Shefford sent on to a life of ‘torture’ in Australia
By Steve Lowe
BOYS as young as nine were shipped out from a former Catholic boys home to a life of abuse and torture in Australia. Bedfordshire Police are currently investigating claims of physical and sexual abuse at St Francis Boys Home in Shefford. The home was closed in 1973, in part due to concerns of abuse allegations. During the investigation police heard that some boys were sent to Bindoon, a notorious town in Western Australia. The youngsters were sent over there in the late 1940s and early 1950s, where they endured a life of back-breaking work and both physical and sexual abuse that some have said amounted to torture. The home in Bindoon was also run by the Catholic Church. Police have confirmed that some youngsters were sent from St Francis Boys Home and it is not entirely clear whether parental consent was always obtained before they were shipped out. The overall investigation now has more than 100 statements in total, mainly against priests no longer alive, but there are now three live suspects who are being questioned. Bedfordshire on Sunday has been fighting for the justice of the former boys since 1996, and in 2006 interviewed Father John Ryan, who was twice arrested for abuse claims but never charged. Father Ryan died in 2008. Former boys are also taking a 'class' action against the Catholic Church, and two former boys, Damian Chittock and Tony Walsh, have won out of court damages. The church is still not co-operating with the investigation and said it had 'nothing to add' to previous statements. Mr Chittock said: "At every turn in this story it gets more horrific. The church has ruined the lives of thousands, maybe tens of thousands of small boys and time is long overdue for them to admit it and say sorry."
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