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Man abused at Catholic college wins £55k compensation
Victory: Patrick Raggett
A dad who claims his life was destroyed because he was sexually abused at a Jesuit-run school has won £54,923 damages.
Patrick Raggett, a former City lawyer who was born in Preston, had asked for an award of up to £5m on the basis that the abuse caused recognised psychiatric disorders and behaviour which led to the loss of his career.
Mrs Justice Swift at London’s High Court said he was not entitled to such a large award and awarded him £40,000 for pain and suffering, plus interest and expenses.
She said: “I am well aware that the conclusions I have reached in my judgment will be disappointing to the claimant and that its contents may cause him some distress.
“This is particularly unfortunate and regrettable since there is no doubt that he was the victim of an insidious form of abuse involving a grave breach of trust and that he has suffered significantly as a result. As a result, he is deserving of sympathy.”
Mr Raggett, 54, who now lives in Chiswick, west London, was not in court for the ruling.
He was abused between the ages of 11 and 15 by Father Michael Spencer, of Preston Catholic College, who died in 2000 aged 76. Mr Raggett, who has bravely waived his right to anonymity, says it left him feeling “violation, dread, isolation, shame and humiliation”.
Now married with a child, he says he did not connect his experiences with years of failure until he had therapy after an April 2005 breakdown.
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Sunday 19 May 2013
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