New jail term for former monk who abused children at two schools

A former Catholic monk has been jailed for seven years for abusing children over decades at two residential schools.

Michael Murphy, 88, is already serving a seven year jail sentence from 2016 for 15 crimes of assault and indecent assault against young boys.

He has now been convicted of a further 29 offences against boys.

They took place at St Ninian's List D School, at Gartmore, in Stirlingshire, and St Joseph's in East Lothian.

The court heard his offending began in 1961 and continued until 1981.

Twenty boys, some as young as seven and eight, were subjected to abuse.

Murphy beat and administered electric shocks to many of the children, while others were subjected to sex attacks.

Speaking after the sentencing, one of the victims said: "As far as I'm concerned, the jail time he gets couldn't ever be long enough. If he dies behind bars then so be it."

The High Court in Edinburgh was told Murphy's latest convictions included punching and kicking children, striking one boy with nettles, forcing a boy to put a bar of soap in his mouth and force-feeding another at St Ninian's until he was sick.

Judge Lady Carmichael said: "A number of them described enduring psychological harm from their time as pupils, to which your behaviour contributed."

The former monk, who was known as Brother Benedict or Brother Ben, was found guilty of the charges following a trial.

One man, who arrived at St Ninian's as a child told the court that it looked like Gordonstoun, the independent school attended by Prince Charles.

But he added: "It was like Gordonstoun, but run by Nazis."

One man, who got sent to St Ninian's before his ninth birthday, told police that he was regularly subjected to beatings by the monk.

He said: "Brother Benedict was way over the top with the force he used. He was an animal.

"He beat me in excess of 100 times in the 32 months I was there and that's being conservative."

The court was told five of the crimes, involving three boys, were committed at St Joseph's, and the remainder occurred at St Ninian's.

Defence counsel Mark Moir QC said Murphy continued to deny his guilt.

Murphy will serve his latest sentence from the expiry of his present jail sentence.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.