B.C. Catholic Church settles lawsuit alleging priest, teacher sexually abused 6-year-old boy
CTV
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver has settled a lawsuit brought by a B.C. man who says he was groomed and sexually assaulted by a priest and a teacher at North Vancouver's Holy Trinity Elementary School when he was six years old.
Warning: This story is about the sexual abuse of a child and may be disturbing to readers.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver has settled a lawsuit brought by a B.C. man who says he was groomed and sexually assaulted by a priest and a teacher at North Vancouver's Holy Trinity Elementary School when he was six years old.
The settlement was reached Tuesday, the seventh day of a trial in which plaintiff "John Doe" described his alleged abuse at the hands of Father John Kilty and teacher Raymond Clavin in the 1970s.
Before the civil trial began, the church admitted the abuse occurred, and admitted its vicarious liability for the men's actions. However, the church denied that it knew or ought to have known at the time that the priest and teacher posed a risk to young boys in the community.
Kilty, who died in 1983, was the pastor at Holy Trinity Catholic Church from 1948 until 1982 and coached the boys' basketball team at Holy Trinity Elementary School.
Clavin, who is believed to be living in Europe but "cannot be located and has not participated in these proceedings," according to the plaintiff's lawyer, was a teacher and coach at the elementary school when the plaintiff was a young student.
Doe alleged he was repeatedly and violently sexually assaulted by both men in a co-ordinated manner, which included forced fellatio and anal penetration. He also claimed the priest drugged him and the teacher threatened to harm him.
