Hear their Voices - Croome Court, A Series about Abuse in the Churches: Exclusive: The Story of Witness 'F49'

Hear their Voices

- A Series about Abuse in the Churches: Exclusive: The Story of Witness 'F49'

Foreword: Many victims were not heard or only insufficiently assisted and in the end let down by various inquiries, safeguarding teams and church hierarchy. The papal nuncio, the Pope himself, cardinals, arch/bishops, nuns and clergy failed them entirely except for non-committal broken promises and empty words. It is appalling that victims were not looked after appropriately even and especially by the IICSA. They had to face a huge group of clergy, lawyers of the churches, bishops and officials in the same room, who either ignored the survivors or intimidated them by their

sheer arrogance. Some survivors were not even able to get home again after a long triggering inquiry session and relied on the kindness of other survivors to offer them to share a room and get them food, whilst lawyers and clergy were paid fees and rooms. The Institute for Criminology and Justice Blog wants to make the testimonies of survivors heard. Here is our first story, 'F49's testimony, in a series of more to come to make the patterns of organised abuse and other church criminality and their

cover ups and the Omertà culture visible that comes with it. The accounts of his experiences are heartbreaking and triggering for many survivors - so, take your time and if you can, spread the testimony. Every voice counts! Be the next one to amplify 'F49'! Together we can make it even more heard! Thank you for listening! Countess Sigrid von Galen

EXCLUSIVE: 'F49' - The Testimony 'F49' young life was pitted with pain, suffering and humiliation. What should be treasured memories of an innocent time have been replaced by nightmares of daily beatings. The bruises have long since gone, the mental scars remain. And they are livid. The Nuneaton 59-year-old did not suffer at the hands of a sadistic father or school bullies. He says his tormentors were nuns who oversaw St Joseph's Special School for children with learning difficulties. It was based in the grandiose setting of Croome Court, an 18th century stately home near Pershore, south Worcestershire. 'F49' - a legal "restriction order" prevents us revealing his identity - is one of five former pupils at the Pershore establishment who have provided statements for an Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse at Roman Catholic institutions - particularly Birmingham Archdiocese institutions - which begins on November 12.

Archbishop of Birmingham, The Most Reverend Bernard Longley, did speak at the London inquiry, which will bring the secrets of Croome Court at last out in the open. The witness of this testimony will be referred to only as "F49". "We are not victims, we are survivors," said the recovering survivor, who is now disabled following severe heart problems. "You were targeted continually - they enjoyed degrading and humiliating you." Glasgow-born 'F49' - one of nine children born in a staunch Catholic household - talks articulately about his 16 months at Croome Court, a nightmare that began in 1970. It only ended when he attempted to take his own life. The experience, he maintains, destroyed his life. The widower, a father-of-four, stumbled from petty crime to approved school to two adult prison stints. He burns with bitterness. He once embraced the Catholic church. He now despises it. "I was a proper Catholic," he said. "My mum was Spanish, my dad was half Italian, half Irish. I was a passionate Celtic supporter, As a family, we went to Lourdes. Now there is nothing. I can't even look at a crucifix." The former pit worker maintains he had no right to be placed at Croome Court. In his own words, he was not "feeble minded", he was merely a serial school truant. Once there, he rebelled against the nuns' strict regime, running away five times, and, he alleges, was near broken by merciless beatings. "They hit you with sticks, anything," he alleged. "They punched you, they dragged you by the hair. The worst was after I'd run away again. I was in the dormitory, they beat the shit out of me, I was black and blue. That was just the start. "They dragged me upstairs, ripping the clothes off me and still beat me. I could handle myself, I refused to scream and one said, 'you think you're tough?' They went in a frenzy, they went to town." 'F49' says he spent that night locked in a cupboard - a regular disciplinary lesson. Scrubbing toilets was another tried and tested technique. He was also placed in a cold bath and rubbed near raw. His ordeal began soon after the family moved from Scotland to Coventry, where his father had found better paid work as a convenor at Rootes car company. Unable to settle, 'F49' continually skipped primary school lessons. "I played truant because I found it hard to fit in," he explained. "The education department got involved and went to see my mother who couldn't speak English. They made her sign a piece of paper - she didn't know what it said." Mum had unwittingly consigned 'F49' to Croome Court. On arrival, he says he was ordered to strip and handed clothes, each adorned with a number. He was one of around 150 children, aged seven to 13. Some took the harsh discipline better than others. "There were a lot who were proper traumatised," said 'F49'. "Those with serious mental health difficulties didn't know what was going on, didn't know the difference." The days, which began at 7am with prayers, became emotionally darker and darker. "It was horrendous," said 'F49'. My day was scrubbing toilets because I was running away, four or five times I ran back home. The beatings were there from the beginning and they were given for nothing. Dropping a pen earned you a beating." His mother and father did not visit - "money was tight" - but tried everything to have their

child removed. He frequently complained and paid a heavy price. He complained to others, but received short shrift: "Who was going to believe a boy over nuns? I'd have welts on my legs and back, but it was hushed up. Nobody listened." 'F49' insisted: "Everyone of those nuns was as bad as each other. One came and for two weeks she was kind, but then she changed. They were evil, pure evil. I still hate them with a passion, not just for what they did to me, but to others - simple, feeble-minded children. "It was living hell. You would wake-up knowing you were going to get it. You woke-up scared and stayed scared for the rest of the day. It was torture. "I complained so much, I tried to take my own life. After running back home, I stole pills from my dad. They took me out of Croome Court unconscious, I was hospitalised, I was dying and woke-up annoyed I was still alive." Near suicide earned 'F49' the release he craved. Education chiefs sat up and took notice. His young life remained rootless and troubled, however. Shoplifting earned him a care order and four months at Tennal Assessment Centre, Harborne - an establishment at the centre of abuse allegations that surfaced 20 years ago. In 2001, two former workers were jailed for abusing vulnerable boys. From there, 'F49' was sent to St Gilbert's Approved School, Hartlebury, Worcestershire - an establishment for youngsters convicted of petty misdemeanours. That, too, has been the focus of an abuse investigation. He completed the fag-end of his education at Bishop Ullathorne Comprehensive, Coventry. He emerged with precious little education and weighed down with resentment.

He added: "Croome Court was the worst time of my life, it completely destroyed my life - you can see that in my face. I still carry the scars. "This is not just about compensation, I want recognition of what these people did to us. I want them to come to the front and admit it, admit what the kids went through. "We are all anxious because it's been a long time coming. "We are nearly there." The school closed in 1979. Ironically, it was then taken over by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. For the nuns at Croome Court, one day the truth will bring its spotlight pointing at them in an investigation. More on Croome Court:

https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/7718/view/INQ002955.pdf https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-sunday-telegraph/20181216/281994673587136 https://www.itv.com/news/central/2018-11-13/survivors-accuse-catholic-church-and-police-of-covering-up-decades-of-child-sexual-abuse -- 
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Sigrid Gräfin von Galen
(Countess Sigrid von Galen)


NEC LAUDIBUS NEC TIMORE

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