Man sexually abused by monk on remote Welsh island says ‘more needs to be done’

A man who suffered sexual abuse by a monk on a remote Welsh island has said “more needs to be done” after a safeguarding review found assaults happened “in plain sight”.

Kevin O’Connell is one of more than a dozen people who was abused by a late monk on Caldey Island, off the coast of Pembrokeshire in west Wales.

The island is home to a Cistercian Order of monks, who allegedly covered up abuse committed by former fathers on the island over several decades.

Mr O’Connell launched the Caldey Island Survivors Campaign five years ago to get the abuse suffered on the island recognised.

Review

His campaigning helped lead to a review commissioned by the abbey, published on Tuesday, which found the abuse happened “in plain sight” with reports not followed up by police.

He is one of 16 survivors who shared stories of being raped and sexually abused.

The review was led by consultant social worker Jan Pickles.

Her report concluded Father Thaddeus Kotik, who died in 1992, sexually abused girls and boys while he was a monk at the abbey.

He used a tortoise and “other attractive treats” to entice children into the monastery garden, where he would sexually abuse them, the report said.

The report also said he “groomed” parents by “overwhelming” them with attention, offering babysitting help and giving small gifts.

Anonymity

Mr O’Connell, who waived his right to anonymity during an interview with the PA news agency, said: “This is a final chance to get it right.

“I feel the review is going in the right direction but there’s still a lot more needed to be done.

“What I have said from the beginning of this review is that Caldey Island survivors have to be a major part of the safeguarding team (which is being established).

“I think there’s a lot to do before our campaign is satisfied that people will be safe.”

He added: “The victims have been treated horribly, so somehow they have got to get this right, if they don’t get this right, I will continue until I destroy Caldey Island.

“I read emails from people all over the world, who have read about the campaign.

“In the end, I would like Caldey Island to be so isolated they might be shut down.

“Ideally what I would like is the National Trust to take over the whole thing and send the monks packing.”

While he said the comments from the abbot, Father Jan Rossey, who took on the role last year, were positive – particularly that he would accept the 12 recommendations listed in the review – he said the Abbey had previously refused to talk to him.

Legal standing

He also raised fears that the recommendations have no legal standing, that there was nothing stopping the abbot from backing out, and it was unclear what support would be offered to victims.

Mr O’Connell also did not feel any of the monks should have any say when it comes to safeguarding.

“It should be totally independent of Caldey Island (monks),” he said.

“I don’t want them to have any part of it, it should be totally independent and run with the victims, because only victims know what victims went through and can see the problems hidden in plain sight.”

He initially visited the island when he was six years old in 1969 and his family befriended a monk named “TK” (Thaddeus Kotik).

He returned three years later after having become an altar boy, which is when he said he was first abused by Kotik, telling Ms Pickles he was treated like “easy prey”.

On that and subsequent visits to the island, Mr O’Connell said he would be separated from the other children by Kotik, who gave him sweets and took him to “old ruins” where he would kiss and touch him.

Ruins

He told the inquiry: “I cannot remember the day, but it seemed soon time for me to go home.

“TK took me again to the ruins, (to) this day I can’t remember much what happened, but it scared me badly and affected me all my life.

“When TK took me back to the group, I was crying but no one seemed to care or ask me anything, they just chatted to TK.

“I cried in bed all that night, again no one came to see me.”

Mr O’Connell also told the report another monk, referred to as “Father X”, accompanied him home from the island and abused him there.

He told the review he was raped repeatedly by Father X over four or five years.

The father died two days after Mr O’Connell made allegations against the man.

Ms Pickles said in her report that there are enough similarities within the cases she examined to indicate that Kotik “employed several conscious and complex strategies to engage, seek and secure the trust of parents and their children to create opportunities for himself within plain sight of all”, which enabled him to abuse children for years.

She said there appears to have been a failure of leadership at the highest level within the order and abbey, with repeated and frequent allegations of child sexual abuse by the monk not being reported to authorities.

Sorrow

In the wake of the report, Father Rossey said: “It is with deep sorrow and regret that I have read in the review of the great suffering of children who were abused by Father Thaddeus Kotik and the closed culture of secrecy and cover-up which kept this hidden.

“It is clear opportunities were missed to stop the abuse of children. It is particularly heartbreaking to hear children spoke up to adults and no action was taken.

“Children and their families were failed when they should have been supported and listened to. The abuses should have been reported to the statutory authorities.

“On behalf of the monastic community, I sincerely apologise to all those who have been hurt and have suffered because of the abuse of Thaddeus Kotik, and past failures in not protecting children and their families.

“It is particularly odious when abuse is committed and hidden by people who are in positions of trust because of their monastic or priestly vocation.”

He said he has ensured “many safeguarding improvements have been put in place” since he became abbot.