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Decision on abuse compensation

The Supreme Court ruled today the Middlesborough Diocese and Roman Catholic organisation which supplied teachers to St Williams should have to pay compensation to alleged victims of abuse.

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Compensation for children's home abuse

Boys who suffered horrific abuse at a Catholic children's home in East Yorkshire are finally to receive compensation after a landmark court ruling.

It is the UK's biggest historic child abuse compensation case, following a litany of sex crimes at St William's Children's Home in Market Weighton over a 34-year period.

Now judges have decided that two Catholic organisations should be held liable for the catalogue of brutality which forced many victims to the brink of suicide, as Jon Hill reports.

Diocese liable for child abuse compensation: decision is "landmark"

The St Williams ruling has been labelled a "landmark" judgment by Jordans Solicitors, who represented the victims.

Organisations who care for children will now be held liable for the abuse of children in their care if their work creates a risk of abuse.

Prior to this decision, claimants had to show that an organisation employed or closely controlled the abuser. More than 170 men claim they suffered physical and sexual abuse at the home between 1958 and 1992.

In 2004 James Carragher, the former headmaster of St Williams, was found guilty of 14 counts of indecent assault against boys, some as young as 12. He was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.

‘It is clear that extensive abuse by staff has taken place at St Williams. Since starting the case both organisations who ran the home have attempted to use legal technicalities to evade responsibility, a tactic mirrored in other church abuse cases. I have had to witness the distasteful spectacle of seeing the two Roman Catholic organisations blame each other . This case should have been settled years ago._

I hope the recent news events regarding the Jimmy Savile cases and the public’s new understanding of the effects of sexual abuse on victims means that both organisations are now prepared to reach a sensible negotiated settlement with these victims of abuse’._

– David Greenwood, Jordans Solicitors

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Ruling: diocese and De la Salle order both liable to pay

The Supreme Court has ruled that two Catholic organisations are liable to pay compensation to victims of abuse at a children's home in East Yorkshire.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Middlesbrough did not challenge their overall responsibility for abuse at St Williams.

They did however insist that the De La Salle Roman Catholic Order, who supplied St Williams with teaching staff, were partially responsible. The Supreme Court agreed with the Diocese of Middlesbrough.

Supreme court to decide whether Diocese should pay up

St William's Children's Home

The Supreme Court is to announce its judgement today after the Middlesbrough Roman Catholic Diocese appealed to overturn a ruling that it is responsible for an £8m compensation claim by child abuse victims.

The challenge relates to claims from 170 men who allege they were sexually and physically abused at the St Williams Children's Home in Market Weighton between 1960 and 1992.

In December 2003, James Redmond Carragher, the former principal of the home was jailed for 14 years after he was found guilty of sexual offences against 22 boys.

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