Catholic brother guilty on sex charges

Bernard McGrath

Victims of a former Catholic brother who preyed on schoolboys yesterday got the justice they had awaited for 30 years.

However, there was also disappointment as a High Court jury in Christchurch found Bernard Kevin McGrath, 58, guilty of fewer than half the 44 sex-abuse charges he faced.

McGrath sexually exploited boys while he was a teacher at Marylands School in Christchurch between 1974 and 1977.

The school, operated by the Order of St John of God, catered for boys with learning difficulties. The order has paid about $5.1 million to former pupils who had complained of abuse.

After a three-week trial and 33 hours of deliberating, the jury yesterday found McGrath guilty of 21 charges of sexual abuse against eight boys and not guilty of the remaining 23 charges.

He was found guilty of eight charges of inducing an indecent act and 13 charges of indecent assault. The jury rejected charges of sodomy.

McGrath originally faced 54 charges, but pleaded guilty to one, and nine charges were withdrawn during the trial.

McGrath was remanded in custody for sentencing on April 27.

Ken Clearwater, an advocate for many of the men who complained of abuse by McGrath, said the guilty verdicts were important, but it was disappointing to see so many not-guilty findings.

He accepted that the jury had a difficult job to do.

"Let's face it, the people on the jury are just ordinary people off the street," he said. "To hear the sort of stuff they have had to listen to over the last three or four weeks, to have to listen to that, it's pretty dreadful stuff.

"The [victims] were only young boys. The times and dates are confusing, and I would say where he's been found not guilty is through those things."

An order has been made to extradite two other former Marylands teachers from Australia to face abuse charges. Both have appealed the order. A third man is too ill to be extradited.