Welfare Worker at Catholic Boarding School Made Pupils Squirt Water at Him, Court Told

Leicester Mercury
September 16, 2014

http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Welfare-worker-Catholic-boarding-school-pupils/story-22931576-detail/story.html

Ratcliffe College

A welfare helper at a Rosminian-run Catholic boarding school has been jailed for sexually abusing a pupil, in the 1980’s.

Francis Belt (72) pleaded guilty to two counts of gross indecency at Ratcliffe College, Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, when the boy was between 13 and 15 years.

Leicester Crown Court was told that when the matter came to light Belt was moved elsewhere as the Rosminian Order covered up the scandal.

The victim was then made to write an apology letter to his abuser.

Belt worked in a pastoral role offering support to the pupils – especially the homesick or lonely ones - as well as helping with sports, other activities and doing maintenance jobs.

Jailing him for 12-months, Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: “In the early 1980’s you worked at Ratcliffe College and were a member of the Rosminian Order and whether or not you taught or had any formal status in the school, the fact is you were in a position of trust regarding pupils.

“You provided emotional support to young boys attending the school.

“You betrayed that trust and you have harmed the complainant very considerably.

“It’s hard to overstate the effect of your behaviour upon him.

“He’s lived with worry and guilt for over 30 years, and felt a sense of deep shame for that period of time, and wasn’t able to tell his mother, even in her dying days, what he’d suffered at your hands.

“The order you served at the school seems to have swept it under the carpet and moved you elsewhere.

“It would have been better for everyone for these matters to have been disclosed.

“That they weren’t isn’t your fault; but you never came forward to admit what you’d done and waited until the complaint was made.

“You’re 72 and other than this behaviour you’ve led a good life in which you have served others with self-sacrifice.

“There was a significant element of grooming and a significant disparity in age.”

Belt has most recently been living in a retirement home run by the Rosminian Order, at St Mary’s, Derryswood, Cranleigh Road, Wonersh, Guildford, Surrey.

James Varley, prosecuting, said the victim is now in his 40’s.

At school, he was homesick and bereft following the death of a relative, making him “very vulnerable.”

Mr Varley said: “The defendant would let the boys into his private quarters to listen to his citizens’ band radio and drink pop.

“He also took the opportunity to expose himself and wash himself in front of those boys.

“He got them to squirt water with syringes at him whilst he was naked.”

Belt also behaved in a lewd manner, again exposing himself, when the boy visited him alone.

In his personal impact statement the victim said he was simply told Belt was leaving and forced to write an apology letter to him.

Mr Varley said years later he contacted the Rosminian Order without any “significant response.”

He said the Rosminian Order came under the spotlight, in a 2011 BBC documentary “Abused: Breaking The Silence” highlighted abuse on pupils 50 years ago at another Leicestershire institution, Grace Dieu Manor School.

Paul Tubb, mitigating, said: “He deeply regrets this and accepts full culpability for what happened 30 years ago.

“He joined the Rosminian Order in 1962 and was 21 when he joined Ratcliffe College two years later where he stayed for 22 years – and for the majority of that time was a law abiding citizen.

“He’s spent the last 30 years as an assistant chaplain at the University Hospital of Wales.”

When the defendant was arrested in 2012 the Rosminian Order contacted the Catholic Safeguarding representatives who imposed a covenant of care placing restrictions on his liberty and requiring him to notify six people of his whereabouts.

“He was an unpaid maintenance assistance and was never a teacher but did have a pastoral role, said Mr Tubb.

Following the case the headmaster and chairman of governors at Ratcliffe issued this statement:

“Ratcliffe College is able to confirm that Francis Belt, who worked at the college during the early 1980s, has accepted responsibility for his actions and pleaded guilty to the offences with which he was charged.

“We hope his guilty plea will go some way to healing the wounds which he caused many years ago.

“On behalf of Ratcliffe College, we would like to say how sorry we are that any abuse took place towards any child, however long ago, while they were at this school.

“The behaviour of anyone who abuses children, and betrays trust placed in them, is abhorrent and should be dealt with firmly.

“It is difficult for anyone within the school to comment further on the particular individual named in the case, as it was nearly 30 years ago when the incident occurred and very few details are available.

“Nevertheless, we are mindful not to let the inexcusable behaviour of this particular individual tarnish the dedicated and hardworking staff in our school today.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank our current staff for their unstinting efforts to ensure Ratcliffe College continues to have a strong, dedicated and caring staff that place the pastoral care of the current students at the heart of all they do and as their highest priority.

“We are proud to have received outstanding reports from our latest ISI and Ofsted inspections that identify such professional care and compassion.

“The board of governors and the senior leadership team here at Ratcliffe College remain dedicated to providing the best pastoral care and safeguarding for our students.”