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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Ealing Abbey: Paedophile priests acted 'like the mafia' | Ealing Abbey: Paedophile priests acted 'like the mafia' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A group of paedophile priests behaved "like the mafia", abusing dozens of young boys at a west London school over a 50 year period, a report says. | A group of paedophile priests behaved "like the mafia", abusing dozens of young boys at a west London school over a 50 year period, a report says. |
| St Benedict's School, Ealing, was described as a "grim and beastly place" by the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). | St Benedict's School, Ealing, was described as a "grim and beastly place" by the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). |
| A culture of cover-up and denial of sexual abuse operated at Ealing Abbey, which ran the school, the report found. | A culture of cover-up and denial of sexual abuse operated at Ealing Abbey, which ran the school, the report found. |
| To date five priests have been jailed for abusing children at the school. | To date five priests have been jailed for abusing children at the school. |
| Staff who reported concerns about teacher behaviour compared it to going up against "the mafia" and "ramming your head against a brick wall". | |
| Peter Halsall, a teacher at St Benedict's for 40 years, made complaints about both Pearce and Maestri "but they didn't go anywhere and it definitely harmed my career". | |
| The IICSA received 18 further allegations against 8 monks and staff, but the true scale of the abuse is "likely to be much higher", the report found. | |
| Children suffered severe corporal punishment which was often used as a means to initiate sexual abuse or for sexual gratification. | Children suffered severe corporal punishment which was often used as a means to initiate sexual abuse or for sexual gratification. |
| "It remains to be seen whether Ealing Abbey proves itself capable in the future of ensuring proper safeguarding of children at risk," the report said. | |
| The IICSA report highlighted failings by school leadership, police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and child protection teams. | The IICSA report highlighted failings by school leadership, police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and child protection teams. |
| The report, the inquiry's tenth, has been published as part of its investigation of abuse within the Roman Catholic church. | The report, the inquiry's tenth, has been published as part of its investigation of abuse within the Roman Catholic church. |
| A request was sent to the Holy See for a witness statement covering questions on what steps were taken after Soper disappeared from the country in 2011. | |
| The Vatican declined to provide a statement, a move John O'Brien, secretary to the inquiry, described as "regrettable". |