School staff ‘would never tell police’ of abuse claims
FORMER staff members at a notorious residential school admitted yesterday that they would not have reported abuse allegations to police.
Harry Harrington, who was a senior member of staff at St Ninian’s school in Falkland, Fife, gave evidence to the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry.
He said he would not have reported any claims of abuse to police had a child come to him at the time.
A second witness, known by the pseudonym Jim, also failed to contact police – even though he was aware of an incident involving a victim, Frank McCue, allegedly being beaten with a golf club by a Christian brother who Mr McCue had nicknamed ‘the Childcatcher’.
Mr Harrington worked alongside John Farrell and teacher Paul Kelly who were convicted in 2016 for assaulting vulnerable pupils at St Ninian’s in the 1970s and 1980s.
During his time at the school between 1975 and 1979, Mr Harrington also worked with another member of staff who is currently facing allegations for sexual and physical abuse, and cannot be named for legal reasons.
Inquiry chairman Lady Smith asked Mr Harrington: ‘If a boy had come to you and indicated anything untoward was going on, would you have contacted the police or any other authority outside the school?’ He replied: ‘I would have found approaching the police very unlikely. The first step would be to go up the Congregation [of Christian Brothers].’
Jim worked at the school as a houseparent for a period of ten months over 1971 and 1972, when he was 22, and he was then asked to leave.
The inquiry heard that he believed this was due to ‘being a thorn in the side’ of the brother who is accused of beating Mr McCue with a golf club, because Jim disliked the alleged culprit after the incident, and had asked continually about what repercussions there would be.
Colin MacAulay, senior counsel to the inquiry, asked Jim: ‘Did it ever cross your mind at the time to contact the police?’
Jim answered: ‘No. I kept asking what was going to happen and I was being told it was being dealt with.’
Previously Mr McCue, now 61, told the inquiry he had been repeatedly struck with the golf club as punishment for meeting girls near the school. He said he was dragged bleeding through the corridors while his friend screamed hysterically, believing that he had died.
When he ran away in the 1970s and was caught by police, one officer allegedly laughed when he told him of the abuse.