Man Says His Alleged Abuser Was Not On Sacramento Diocese’s List

By Rowena Shaddox
Fox 40
April 30, 2019

https://bit.ly/2Wg0KmF

Kurt Hoffman was a freshman at Jesuit High School and on the swim team when he says his coach, Brother William Farrington, sexually assaulted him.

"I was 14 years old in 1987 in the spring when he assaulted me," Hoffman said.

Hoffman addressed the media Tuesday, the same day the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento released a list of more than 40 priests and deacons accused of sexual abuse. Cases were dated from the 1950s up to as recent as 2014.

Farrington does not appear on the least.

"My question is just if the diocese is really interested in transparency, full disclosure and in the interest of supporting victims and giving courage to possible victims who are suffering silently out there to come forward, I'm shocked that Farrington was not on this list," Hoffman said.

Farrington was named last year on the Jesuit West Province list of accused abusers.

In a prepared statement, Bishop Jaime Soto says they will update their list to incorporate the information on Jesuit's list.

A spokesman for the diocese says revealing the names of accused abusers is important.

"We want people to see this because we need to be held accountable, and the only way you can be held accountable is to own it and atone for it," spokesman Kevin Eckery said.

Hoffman's parents reported the assault to Jesuit. They say Farrington was gone the very next day.

But Hoffman says he later learned that Farrington was transferred to Loyola in the early 2000s, where he served as a freshman counselor.

Once Hoffman notified the school of Farrington's sexual abuse, Farrington was removed and placed in Los Gatos where he remains at an infirmary.

"It's up to the church to make sure they get reported to civil law enforcement and not be transferred to other places where they can prey upon kids," Hoffman said.