Delay extraditing monk accused of abuse at school ‘betrays victims’

Historical abuse victims are questioning why it is taking so long to extradite a former monk from Canada after being mistakenly told he was dead.

Numerous former pupils from St Ninian’s residential school at Gartmore, Stirlingshire, who accused a De La Salle monk known as Brother Peter of a sickening catalogue of abuse, were told the teacher had died more than 20 years ago.

But new information in 2007 revealed he had, in fact, spent years teaching in Canada.

We can now reveal the Crown Office has been trying to extradite Peter Murray, who is now in his 80s, for years. An extradition hearing in Canada is due again by the end of this month.

It is understood at least eight former pupils have made allegations of abuse. One alleged victim, who is now in his 60s, said: “I was assured by the police almost 20 years ago that Brother Peter was dead.

“It was a devastating blow after waiting so long to get any chance of justice for what was done to us as ­children. I tried to get on with my life, but the injustice burned inside me.

“However, in 2007 I was able to tell the police that there was more than one Brother Peter at St Ninian’s, and I discovered the one I was accusing had gone to Canada to work as a teacher there. In 2013, I was told that police officers had finally uncovered a register which informed them of exactly who had been teaching at St Ninian’s.

“I cannot understand why it is taking so long for steps to be taken to bring those accused to justice. It’s a real betrayal of victims. Are they ­waiting until they really are all dead?”

The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry revealed some of the most ­brutal abuse uncovered at a string of residential schools where De La Salle monks taught occurred at St Ninian’s, which closed in 1982.

Two years ago, the Crown Office confirmed it was “actively seeking the extradition of Peter Murray”. A spokesperson said: “As such there is no comment we can provide.”

Last week they remained tightlipped over the process, stating: “There is no further guidance we can provide at this time.”

Despite St Ninian’s having one of the highest numbers of alleged abuse victims, only three men ever stood trial two decades ago – Brother Benedict, real name Michael Murphy, teacher Charles McKenna, and night watchman James McKinstry.

© PA

Police at the time identified at least seven more suspects. But despite more than 200 alleged victims coming forward, just a dozen men were called to testify in the 2001 High Court trial.

The man waiting for news of Peter Murray’s extradition said: “What ­happened to me at St Ninian’s when I was just a boy of 11 years old destroyed everything inside me, ­leaving me ­broken and unable to trust anyone in authority.

“I still find it extremely difficult to talk about, and many who know me have no idea of the horrors I faced on a daily basis, simply because I played truant from school. For something which sounds so trivial today, I was sent to a regime forged in Hell, where all around me other boys were beaten and abused. Their screams and cries have haunted me all my days and I suffer PTSD. We’ve all waited far too long for justice.”

Michael Murphy, then known as Brother Benedict, has already been convicted of abusing the man, delivering electric shocks that blew him off his feet and breaking his arm.

Murphy, convicted of 54 charges of physical and sexual abuse of boys at St Ninian’s and St Joseph’s in the 1960s, told the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry last year that victims were “unhinged”. Despite being convicted in 2003, 2016 and 2021, Murphy continued denying the abuse of children and accused boys of colluding to get him locked up.