UNITED KINGDOM
Biggleswade Today
A former resident of a Catholic boys’ home told jurors of a catalogue of sadistic beatings and sex abuse at the hands of nuns, priests and carers.
The man, who cannot be identified, was giving evidence in a trial of facts for James McCann, 80, who is accused of 52 charges of physical and sex assaults on 26 boys in the 1960s and 70s.
The Old Bailey heard this week that the alleged offences took place at St Francis children’s home in Shefford, where abuse was already deeply entrenched in the culture.
The person in charge, Father John Ryan, was described by the witness as “the most evil man I have ever met in my life”. The witness said the “well built and scary” priest had slapped and punched him on many occasions.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.