A care worker who abused a 12-year-old boy in an industrial school brought the boy to a cabbage patch late at night and told him that he would be buried there if he informed anyone of the abuse, the High Court heard yesterday.
On one occasion when the child returned from attending a school doctor having complained of rectal bleeding, the care worker was waiting with a hurley in his hand, and struck the child in the face, breaking his nose.
Mr Martin Hayden SC, outlined these and other incidents which befell Mr Raymond Noctor (45), of Leinster Cresent, Dublin Road, Carlow, at the opening of Mr Noctor's action for damages against the State, the Minister for Education, St Joseph's Industrial School, Kilkenny, the South Eastern Health Board and the Minister for Health over their failure to prevent acts of abuse and gross indecency against him.
Liability has been admitted, and the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Finnegan, has been asked to assess damages.
In evidence, Mr Noctor said the State and other defendants had let him and others like him wander around for so many years without providing for them. Those defendants now wanted "to take some of the glory" by accepting liability. That was 30 years too late, but he still hoped to provide for his children.
Opening the action, Mr Hayden said Mr Noctor was one of 14 children. His mother died at the age of 43 on the day he was making his First Holy Communion. His father was unable to cope, and the family split up. He and his younger brother were sent to St Joseph's, which was run by the Sisters of Charity.
While there he was severely and repeatedly sexually and physically abused and tortured, counsel said. Mr Noctor was claiming he had received no education while at the institution, suffered from low self-esteem and attempted suicide on a number of occasions.
In his evidence, Mr Noctor said he was transferred to a premises in St Joseph's institution known as Summerhill when he was aged 12. Mr David Murray (who is serving a prison sentence on abuse charges) was the housemaster and had interviewed him beforehand, and had produced a handbook with naked people saying he was going to explain the facts of life.
Shortly after his arrival in Summerhill, the abuse began. Sexual abuse continued in the dormitory and Mr Murray's room. Mr Noctor said he was sexually abused on holidays at Mr Murray's parents' home and at a picture house. He told the institution's supervisor, Sister Conception, on a few occasions what was happening, and also on an occasion in the presence of two men who were volunteer workers in the institution, Sgt John Tuohy and Garda Eddie Geraghty. He did not know then they were gardaí.
A while later he met with Bishop Peter Birch, the Bishop of Ossory. He remembered the bishop saying: "Something has to be done. This has to stop." He did not know if the people he had told had suggested that meeting.
Mr Murray would beat him if he was a minute late returning from school. He would hit him with a hurley stick or anything on hand, and he might even set his (Mr Murray's) dog on him.
One night when it was raining Mr Murray got him out of bed and brought him to the institution's cabbage patch, where he made him dig out a cabbage head.
"He told me that if I told anyone that was where I would be buried, and no one would ever find me. I was scared".He hated Mr Murray, but was terrified of him.
The case continues today.
