UNITED KINGDOM
Darlington & Stockton Times
Catholic church suffering “institutional paranoia” over abuse allegations, claims former pupil of suspended Darlington priest
By Joe Willis, Regional Chief Reporter
A FORMER Catholic school pupil taught by a priest suspended from his parish for almost a decade says the case highlights the church’s “institutional paranoia” over abuse allegations.
Blogger Ed Devlin was taught by Father Michael Higginbottom at St Joseph’s College, near Wigan, in the early 1980s.
He said he never had a problem with the priest and never witnessed any inappropriate behaviour towards pupils from staff while at the school.
“He was an excellent teacher although very strict, but he never enforced physically punishments or needed more than the odd acerbic put-down – certainly nothing that could merit complaint,” he said.
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