Landmark ruling over church responsibility after abuse claims

UNITED KINGDOM
Portsmouth News

Published on Wednesday 27 February 2013

THE HIGHEST court in the land has ruled against the Catholic Church in a row over whether it can be held responsible for the sexual abuse of a Waterlooville woman by one of its own priests.

The Supreme Court has refused to hear the Catholic Churches’ case that it could not be held responsible because the priest was not an ‘employee’.

The issue of responsibility arose after the woman, who can only be identified as Miss E, brought a civil action against the church.

She claimed she was abused in a children’s home run by the church and therefore the church has ‘vicarious liability’.

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