Governors stand down at sex scandal hit St Bede's College

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Governors stand down at sex scandal hit St Bede's College

4 May 2013 09:06

Former headmaster John Byrne is among seven governors who have resigned from the board at St Bede’s College, the M.E.N. can reveal

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St Bede's College

Governors at a top Catholic school rocked by historic sex abuse claims have stepped down to shield themselves from legal action brought by almost 20 alleged victims.
Former headmaster John Byrne is among seven governors who have resigned from the board at St Bede’s College, the M.E.N. can reveal.
The Bishop of Salford, the Diocese of Salford and governors at the Whalley Range school all face being sued over accusations that former rector Monsignor Thomas Duggan sexually abused schoolboys at St Bede’s during the 1950s and 1960s.
The M.EN. has learnt that one alleged victim claims he was raped by the late Mgr Duggan as a 12-year-old. We can also reveal that accusations of serious sexual abuse have been made against two other priests at St Bede’s in the 1950s – Father Charles Mulholland and Father Vincent Hamilton – who have both also since died.
It is understood the seven lay governors have now stood down to protect themselves from claims brought by 17 alleged victims. Ten governors remain – including priests and some lay board members.

Accused: Monsignor Thomas Duggan pictured at St Bede's

  None of the governors who have stepped down were at the school at the time of the alleged abuse.
A spokeswoman for St Bede’s said: “The college understands that the governors did indeed resign tactically in order to protect themselves insofar as possible from the legal claims.
“Whilst it is the college’s position that the current governors can have no personal liability for events alleged to have occurred over 50 years ago, and before many of the current governors were even born, that has not been accepted by the solicitors acting for some of the claimants, so the governors felt they had no option but to resign.
“The college deeply regrets their resignations but entirely appreciates the reasons why they have resigned.”
At the time of the claims against Mgr Duggan, when the Alexandra Road school was run by the diocese, a rector was in charge. Mgr Duggan died in 1968 after leaving St Bede’s.
Georgina Calvert-Lee, barrister at AO Advocates, which is acting on behalf of 14 alleged victims, confirmed that litigation was ‘imminent’.
She added: “Many of the allegations are about Mgr Duggan. By all accounts he was an oppressive presence in the school. Boys have told us how he terrified they were of him.”
Ms Calvert-Lee said there were allegations of harsh assaults and beatings and Mgr Duggan was accused of raping one boy early in his tenure and others later. She added accusations had been made against Fr Mulholland and Fr Hamilton.
According to Companies House, Mr Byrne, who was at the school for 25 years, resigned in March – along with four others. Mr Byrne, of Hale Barns, Altrincham, said: “I have resigned as governor but I cannot comment any further because of legal proceedings.”
The Diocese of Salford declined to comment.
The scandal involving Mgr Duggan, which emerged in 2011, was the second to hit St Bede’s. In 2010, Father William Green was jailed for six years after sexually abusing a string of boys.