MORE than 260 men abused as boys by a Catholic teaching order are to receive damages of A$3.5 million (£1.7 million) in a settlement they condemned as "a national disgrace".
A spokesman for the victims, Mr John Hennessey, described it as "outrageous" and "an insult" to the men who had claimed compensation for years of physical, mental and sexual abuse they suffered at the hands of the Christian Brothers.
After a three year action, the 263 ex students will be paid at least AS 2,000 each for abuse dating back to the 1930s, with payments of up to A25,000 in severe cases.
They attended schools in Western Australia, but because of the statute of limitations there, the case was heard in the New South Wales Supreme Court, Sydney.
The major feature of the out of court settlement, announced yesterday, was a A$3.5 million "reconciliation trust fund" set up to assist the ex students.
Christian Brothers spokesman, Brother Julian McDonald, said the brothers were "shocked and disgusted" by the cases of physical and sexual abuse, but maintained the leaders of the order had not been negligent. The order might take out a loan to meet the commitment but would not sell properties, he said.
However, Mr Hennessey said: "We are hurt that the Christian Brothers hid behind the law so they can pay out the minimum compensation possible.
"They avoided the moral Christian compassion and the hurt we are still going through today."
He said child sexual and physical abuse had been treated very cheaply, adding: "What they taught us as little children concerning Christian ethics, morality and compassion seem today to have gone out the window."
Mr Hennessey said his own pronounced stutter resulted from being flogged by a "16 stone, six foot, wild Irish Christian Brother when I was 12 years old".
The only consolation to come out of the case was that "at least as victims, we have been vindicated for the claims that we have been making for the past 30 or 40 years", he said.