VIDEO: Abuse victim stages 'crucifixion' protest in Glasgow
Dave Sharp who says he was sexually and physically abused at a Catholic run school in the 1970s and 80s is chaining himself to a cross outside St Andrew's Cathedral in Glasgow
A Glasgow man who claims he suffered years of sexual abuse in the care of the Catholic church is staging a 'crucifixion' protest.
Dave Sharp is chaining himself to a wooden cross outside St Andrew's Cathedral in Glasgow for the next 10 days.
The 57 year old is a former pupil of the notorious St Ninian's school in Fife which was at the centre of one of the biggest abuse cases in Scottish legal history.
A former headteacher and ex-teacher from the school which was run by the Christian Brothers were convicted and sentenced earlier this month for sexually and physically assaulting six boys in the 1970s and 1980s.
57 year old Mr Sharp claims the Catholic Church and the Christian Brothers have refused to apologise for what happened to him and the other victims.
He spoke to our Chief Reporter Linda Sinclair outside the cathedral:
In a statement the Catholic Church says:
“We have every sympathy with Mr Sharp and have tried to respond to his requests. The Archbishop has met him privately and repeated the apology made on behalf of the whole Church in Scotland to victims of abuse.
"In his recent protest we invited him to come inside the Cathedral, and offered special prayers for those who had suffered abuse. Our safeguarding adviser is in regular touch with him.
"The Archdiocese is not directly involved in Mr Sharp’s case which is against the Christian Brothers but we have tried to respond to him with understanding.”
In a statement on behalf of the Congregation of Christian Brothers they say:
"The Congregation of Christian Brothers Trustees are aware that 2 former teachers of St. Ninian’s School in Falkland have been found guilty of historic sexual offences against pupils who attended the school in the 1970s and early 1980s. We, the Christian Brothers, wish to express our deep regret to these victims and also to anyone who suffered ill-treatment while in our care.
"We have engaged with Mr Sharp concerning his allegations (which were not the subject of the recent criminal trial). He has asked for financial compensation and so we have requested that he proceed through a legal process in the normal way. Mr Sharp has been unwilling to engage in such a process and the Trustees are now exploring other possibilities for resolving the issue.
"The Trust is dedicated to educating young people and it has robust protocols in place for their protection. It is the unequivocal position of the Trust that no young person should ever suffer abuse. It treats all allegations of abuse with the utmost seriousness and is committed to reporting allegations and to co-operating fully and openly with any subsequent investigations."