Hartford archdiocese accused of sex abuse coverup

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford and officials of a prestigious New Haven private school have been accused of a decades-long coverup of sexual abuse of young boys by one of their teachers.

The teacher, Glenn Goncalo, of Derby, shot himself to death in 1991 as police were preparing to arrest him.

One of the alleged victims, who was a 12-yearold student at St. Lawrence parochial school in West Haven at the time, has filed suit in state Superior Court in New Haven against St. Lawrence School and Hopkins School, a private high school where it is alleged the sexual assaults occurred in 1990 and 1991.

“We, again, have a situation where an adult in a position of trust and authority is allowed free access to children in a school environment without any supervision or monitoring,” said the plaintiff’s lawyer, Cindy Robinson, of the Bridgeport law firm Tremont Sheldon Robinson Mahoney, which has successfully brought lawsuits against the Hartford archdiocese and the Bridgeport diocese on behalf of people who claimed they were sexually abused by priests.

Goncalo was a teacher at St. Lawrence School, an archdiocese school, and an intramural director and coach at Hopkins.

“We have been made aware that a lawsuit has been filed in New Haven Superior Court referencing sexual misconduct allegations dating from 1990 against an adjunct coach at Hopkins who died in 1991,” said Linda Weber, a spokeswoman for Hopkins. “While we cannot comment on pending litigation, Hopkins School is committed to supporting survivors of sexual misconduct as well as ensuring the ongoing safety of all students and employees.”

In a statement, the archdiocese declined to comment on the lawsuit but wrote, “However, it is important for the public to know that the Archdiocese condemns the sexual abuse of minors as well as the sexual abuse of vulnerable adults.”

Hearst Connecticut Media obtained a New Haven police report regarding a sexual assault claim against Goncalo.

In that report, dated Sept. 7, 1991, the father of a boy, other than the plaintiff in this lawsuit, complained his son had been sexually assaulted at Hopkins School by Goncalo.

The report states Goncalo was the boy’s teacher at St. Lawrence and had taken the boy to Hopkins on the pretext of having him try out for the baseball team. But when they got into the school’s vacant gym, Goncalo bound the boy’s hands behind his back and sexually assaulted him, the report states.

The report states another boy said he witnessed the incident.

New Haven police made arraignments with Goncalo to turn himself in, when on Sept. 29, 1991, he was found lying on the side of the road near his home with a gunshot wound in his chest, the police report states. An autopsy determined his death was selfinflicted.

The lawsuit, filed by Robinson, claims Goncalo was allowed 24/7 access into Hopkins School, including after regular school hours and when school was not in session, and would bring minor boys, including the plaintiff, to Hopkins under the guise of using the school gym to play basketball.

After using the gym, Goncalo required the boys to shower naked with him, the suit states. In addition, on an overnight stay at Hopkins School, and at Lawrence School, Goncalo molested the plaintiff, the suit claims.

“It is especially upsetting that Hopkins allowed Goncalo to come and go as he pleased and permitted him to bring children on school premises at all hours of the day and night, even allowing the boys to sleep over at the school, without any supervision,” Robinson said.