Children at a Catholic school in west London were sexually and physically abused over three decades, a child abuse inquiry has found.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse said monks David Pearce and Laurence Soper – senior figures behind the abuse at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s School – acted “like the mafia”. This made reporting the abuse difficult for victims and staff.
The report, published on Thursday, found there were “significant opportunities [for leaders] to stop abusers in the school” but “these were not acted upon”.
It led to a “sadistic and predatory” culture of horrific abuse spanning over 30 years, the inquiry found. This was also reflected by “excessive” corporal punishment.
One victim told the inquiry: “I often wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been abused. I feel like I am still in a black hole and just can’t climb out of it.
“I don’t think I can ever put down in words fully what [Soper] has done to me. He has damaged me for life and I am afraid that that damage will never go away.”
The report rounded on the “leadership failure” of Abbot Martin Shipperlee, highlighting “serious shortcomings in his response to allegations and handling of child protection concerns”.
One example noted that following a civil trial against Pearce, where allegations against him were proven, there were no changes to the restrictions placed on him. That same year, Pearce started to sexually abuse a 16-year-old boy who was working in the monastery.
Mr Shipperlee resigned during the inquiry’s investigation into the school in February.
Since 2003, Pearce and Soper, as well as lay teachers John Maestri and Stephen Skelton, have been convicted of multiple offences involving the sexual abuse of over 20 children between at least the 1970s and 2008
The inquiry also received evidence of at least 18 further allegations against the men convicted and eight other monks and teachers.
Prof Alexis Jay, chair of the inquiry, said: “For years, a culture of cover-up and denial meant children at Ealing Abbey and St Benedict’s School suffered appalling sexual and physical abuse.
“A reluctance to properly respond to safeguarding concerns meant significant opportunities to stop abusers were missed.
“When action was taken, the responses of senior staff, headmasters and external institutions were often poorly judged or flawed.
“As a result, children were left at risk of abuse which could have been stopped decades earlier.”
The Standard has approached the school for comment.
