A victim of sex offender Bernard McGrath is angry at how long it took to get justice.
Darryl Smith was six years old when McGrath began sexually abusing him in the 1970s.
The sex offending happened at Christchurch’s Marylands school for boys.
McGrath was a St John of God brother when he abused at least nine boys at the school.
He served two prison sentences in New Zealand – released most recently in 2008.
Now 54, Darryl Smith, a victim of McGrath says he’s still angry.
“I got my life totally stolen from me. I had no childhood because of this monster, I lost everything,” he says.
“He is responsible majorly, yes, because he did the crime, but also St John of God hid the crime. They knew these sorts of things were happening to us children and they allowed it to happen.”
But sex offender McGrath didn’t end there.
Offending in Australia
Despite the Marylands accusations of sex offending, St John of God appointed McGrath headmaster at Kendall Grange boys home in New South Wales.
While there through the 80s he subjected boys to sexual assaults.
In 2012, Australian authorities laid more than 250 charges against McGrath.
It took years of legal wrangling before Australia could extradite him from New Zealand to stand trial.
Last week, the court sentenced McGrath, aged 70, to 33 years’ jail. He will serve 21 years without parole.
Mr Smith said it was justice and McGrath should never get out.
“The predator seems to have more money and people behind him than the victims … in his case he’s got the might of the Catholic Church behind him.”
Murray Heasley is a spokesperson for the Network for Survivors of Abuse in Faith-Based Institutions.
He says McGrath would spend the rest of his life in prison. While that’s some justice for his victims it took far too long to get there.
“Many of the people Bernard McGrath attacked will be dead now, and a good number of them will be dead by their own hand,” he says.
Source:
- Radio NZ
- Image credit: Darryl Smith