This is what Fr O'Shea told Surrey Police in an interview on March 27th 2000.
"I became the Headteacher at Salesian College, Highfield Road, Chertsey Surrey in September 1967. I remained at the school for ten years until I left in 1977. I have been asked by the police if I recall a boy named Graham Wilmer coming to me and making an allegation of sexual abuse against a teacher called Hugh Madley. I do not recall any allegation of this kind being made. I am sure that if it had been I would remember."
What is especially galling is that last line 'I am sure that if it had been I would remember.' O'Shea is suggesting to the police that I cannot be telling the truth, because his memory is so good that he would have remembered had I told him. His statement was, of course, made in April 2000, two years before Madley finally confessed to me, and subsequently the police, that the senior members of the Salesian College at Chertsey, and at the Provincial level, knew from Madley's own mouth what he had done to me. Yet, here we have the head of the school, who would have dealt with Madley's resignation in 1968, and, of course, re-organised Madley's teaching duties at Chertsey, up to the time Madley left Chertsey and went to work at the Salesian College Battersea, saying that he is 'sure' that no such event took place, because if it had, he would have remembered!
Below is the text of the handwritten letter Fr O'Shea wrote to my father on 7th March 1968, in response to my father's letter asking him why I was doing so badly at school. Fr O'Shea was fully aware by this time that I had been sexually abused by Madley, but, as you can see, Fr O'Shea made no mention of that, nor did he mention that Madley had resigned because of what he had done to me. The only clue to the problems I was suffering from is in his second sentence, where he says that I had not done too badly in the mock exams 'apart from mathematics'. It was, of course, Madley who was giving me private tuition in mathematics at home, while abusing me at the same time. Little wonder that I was struggling.
Salesian College
Chertsey
Surrey
Chertsey 4521
7th March 1968
Dear Mr Wilmer,
Many thanks for your letter of today. Graham has not done too
badly in his mock examinations - appart from mathematics -
and he certainly merits the opportunity of sitting for the subjects
you suggest. He has a reasonable chance of success in all subjects.
Yours sincerely
E O'Shea
This is a letter I wrote to Fr O'Shea in March 2004, after the Salesians had agreed, albeit reluctantly, to release me from the agreement I signed with them in February 2001, which had previously prohibited me from taking further action against Madley.
3 March 2004
Fr O'Shea
St John Bosco House
121A Reading Road
Farnborough
Hampshire
GU14 6NZ
Dear Fr O'Shea,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. It is 36 years since we last met in person, although our paths did cross more recently in April 2000 when WPC Sarah Harris visited you in connection with the police investigation into Hugh Madley, the science teacher at Chertsey who sexually abused me for nearly two years.
The investigation into Madley came about after I had a mental breakdown in 1999, no longer able to cope with the awful consequences the abuse had on my mental health, my emotional development, and, of course, my education, which was destroyed.
I underwent psychiatric treatment and therapy for the next four years following the breakdown, and set up this charity as part of my recovery process to help victims of abuse.
However, after WPC Harris interviewed you, a file was sent to the CPS who, in time, decided that there was not enough evidence to bring a case against Madley and the investigation stopped at that point.
The issues were these: At the core of the CPS decision was the fact that, of the four people who knew about what had happened to me at Chertsey, following my disclosure in confession to Fr Maddon just after the death of Martin Allen, two were dead (Fr Harris and Fr Maddon), one could not be identified (the priest who came to interrogate me from Stockport) and the fourth, yourself, could not recall the events that occurred after I told you all what Madley had done to me. Your statement was therefore offered by the police to the CPS as what they call a 'negative statement', and consequently would not have been sufficient to be considered as a witness testimony. Had you been able to recall what happened, then your testimony would have been admissible, along with my testimony, and the case would have progressed to trial.
Following the collapse of the case, I began a civil action against both Madley and SDB, which was settled through mediation in February 2001. Part of that settlement including a provision that I would not commence any further action against Madley in any court at any time in the future, but that was before the bombshell of abuse cases in the USA exploded, with such terrible revelations and consequences.
More recently, the dreadful murder of little Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, led to a public inquiry, currently taking evidence, that raised the issue of allegations of sexual abuse not being recorded on the National Police Computer if no conviction had been achieved, and the potential risk to children that this loophole posed.
Consequently, I wrote to SDB's lawyers in January of this year and asked them to release me from that part of our agreement so that I could pursue a private prosecution against Madley in order to ensure that he is not allowed to abuse other children in the future; he is only in his late sixties and could still be working with children even though he has retired from Battersea, where he was moved to after I disclosed in 1968.
They have now considered the matter with SDB and given me permission to follow such a course of action, which I now intend to do. Consequently, I am asking you to think again about what happened in 1968 to see if you can recall the actions that you took after Fr Maddon told you what I had revealed to him in confession.
To help you, the following is what actually happened:
Following the tragic death of Martin Allen, my friend and classmate (4A), I was asked by his father, Dr Allen, if I would serve on the altar with Martin's brother Paul, at the requiem Mass. At the time, I believed myself to have been in a state of Mortal Sin, because of my involvement in what Madley had been doing to me for nearly two years.
Consequently, unless I went to confession, I would not be able to take communion, which I had not taken for many months previously, because I was too frightened to confess. However, this was different. I would be on the altar with Paul, in front of Martin's family and the whole school. The priest serving the mass was, of course, the Bishop of Leeds, a close friend of the Allen's, who knew me very well from my time at their home, where he often visited.
My dilemma was that if I did not take communion on the altar, Martin's family would be terribly hurt as they were devout Catholics, as indeed was I at the time. The only course of action for me was that I would have to bite the bullet, confess and take the consequences.
I duly sought out Fr Maddon as he was my House Master, and asked him to hear my confession. He did, but before he gave me absolution, he instructed me to agree to repeat to him outside of the confessional what I had told him under the seal, as he would have to tell you, the then headmaster, about it, because it was so serious. I agreed because I was so desperate to be given absolution and freed from the awful burden and guilt that had been carrying for so long. I duly got my absolution, but the price was a high one.
Fr Maddon came to see you and told you what I had said. The following day, you interviewed Madley with the Rector, Fr Harris, after which Madley told me later that he had denied everything and that you did not believe my story. Well he would say that wouldn't he?
However, you must have had your doubts because you then arranged for me to be interviewed by a priest from another part of the order. You described him to me before my interview as 'a specialist in these kind of matters'.
He saw me on my own in a room not far from your office and interrogated me for a long time, asking me detailed questions about my sexuality, had I done anything like that before with my cousins or anyone else, and so on. It was a very difficult ordeal for me to have to go through, particularly given the traumatic state I was already in due to the abuse, Martin's death and my confession. After the interview, I saw you again and you told me that I was not to speak to anyone about it, including my parents, and that you would be dealing with the matter.
What I did not know then, but discovered many years later, was that you and your predecessor, Fr Ford, had been exchanging angry letters for months previously with my father, Maurice Wilmer, over the serious decline in my school work. I still have all of my school reports and those letters (his drafts and your replies), which show quite clearly that something was very wrong. It is not surprising that you did not want to reveal to him what I had disclosed to you.
Not long after that, I sat my GCSE O levels, failing all of them except Art, which I barely scraped through. Before the abuse, I had been a hard working boy, according to your letters and my reports, who was expected to pass at least some exams. However, having, not surprisingly, failed them, I telephoned you on my father's instructions after the results were published, and asked you if I could come back and repeat the 5th year and re-sit the exams the following year. You refused to let me return, and the rest is history.
I know it is a long time since all this happened, but it was such a complex issue that I find it hard to accept that you can't recall any of it. It would help me greatly if you could pray about this and see if your memory clears a little. All it would take is for you to remember the fact that you did deal with such an issue - even if you can't recall that it was about me. You must at least be able to remember that you arranged for Madley to be moved to Battersea, where he remained for the rest of his teaching career.
I bear no hostility towards you or the school, as I had to deal with the nature of forgiveness as part of my recovery. However, the thought of Madley being able to do what he did to me, and who knows how many others, without having to face even a trial to account for his actions, is simply not acceptable, and I will go on with my efforts to bring him to justice for as long as it takes.
I enclose a copy of the last letters between my father and you, which were written some three months after you were told of what I had confessed. I also enclose my last two school reports, which clearly show that something was wrong, and a copy of my last school photo. Perhaps these will jog your memory. Please help me.
With best wishes
Graham Peter Wilmer
Fr O'Shea did not reply. Instead, I received the following letter from Fr Bailey:
14 March 2004
Thornleigh House
Sharples Park
Bolton
BL1 6PQ
Dear Graham
Fr O'Shea tells me that you have written to him seeking clarification on some issues relating to his time at Chertsey. While I do appreciate your concerns, I have to say that I am also concerned about Fr O'Shea being approached in this way. He is quite old now and these matters do confuse and upset him. Would you mind if the questions were sent to me and I will attempt to find the answers for you without upsetting himtoo much.
With that in mind I have already asked him to tell me what he remembers in regard to your questions and I am prepared to communicate them to you. Please let me know if you are happy with that arrangement. I am away from Bolton until 23rd March.
Sincerely - Anthony Bailey.
I wrote back to Fr Bailey on 30 March, saying that I appreciated his offer, and looked forward to hearing from him again. I did not hear anything from him, so, on 21 May, I wrote agin to Fr O'Shea, copy to Fr Bailey, informing him of the latest developments:
21 May 2004
Fr O'Shea
St John Bosco House
121A Reading Road
Farnborough
Hampshire
GU14 6NZ
Dear Fr O'Shea,
I am writing to update you on recent developments. On April 5th, Hubert Madley wrote to me and asked me if I would be prepared to meet with him as he had something he wanted to tell me. I declined, but suggested that he could talk to my counsellor if he wanted to, to which Madley agreed.
There followed several lengthy telephone conversation between Madley and my counsellor, during which Madley made a full admission of everything he had done to me at Chertsey.
During these conversations, and in subsequent correspondence to me, Madley gave a full account of what had happened on the day that I disclosed to Fr Madden in 1968 that I was being sexually abuse by Madley, the details of which you were also made aware of later that day.
Madley has told me that on that same evening, he came to see you after supper, but you were not in, so he went to see Fr Gaffney, the Rector. He says that Fr Gaffney already knew what it was that he wanted to talk to him about. He says that he told Fr Gaffney everything that he had done to me. Fr Gaffney then said to him that he would have to resign, which he did there and then. Fr Gaffney asked Madley to promise him that he would never offend against a child again. He then told Madley that he would see you about it the next morning.
Subsequently, when Fr Gaffney died, not long afterwards, Madley was approached by Fr George Williams, the Provincial, at the funeral. Fr Williams interviewed Madley about the offences he had committed against me, and asked Madley to repeat to him the promise he had given to Fr Gaffney that he would "never offend again" - those being the actual words he used.
Fr Williams then told Madley that there was a job going at Battersea following Fr Perla's move to become Parish Priest at Battersea, and that if Madley were to apply for that job, Fr Williams would not stand in his way.
So, from all this, we now know that you were all aware of what had happened, not just from me, but from Madley himself, yet in April 2000, you told the police that you could not remember anything about these events.
The consequences of Madley's admission are now in train, about which you will no doubt soon be made aware of by the police.
In the meantime, I ask you again to think back to these events and write to me with your explanation of why you abandoned me in my hour of need. I am prepared to come down and visit with you if you would prefer to tell me to my face rather than write to me.
Your failure to support me at the time, and of course the impact of the abuse itself, caused me immense damage, but it did not extinguish the flame that the Salesians had lit in me during the three years at Chertsey before the abuse began, which was: regardless of how difficult the challenges that face you become, trust in God and never gift up.
Yours sincerely
Graham Wilmer.
Victim No Longer.
cc Fr Anthony Bailey
On 24 May, I also wrote to the then Provincial Superior, Francis Preston:
24 May 2004
Fr Francis Preston, Provincial
Salesian Provincial House
266 Wellington Rd North
Stockport
Cheshire
SK4 2QR
Dear Fr Preston
Hubert Cecil Madley
I am sure that by now you will have been made aware of recent developments following Madley's admission last month that he did sexually abuse me back in 1966/68 at Salesian College Chertsey.
Back in April of 2000, Madley had vehemently denied to the police that he had abused me, and Fr O'Shea also denied that they new anything about it. I, of course, knew that Fr O'Shea had known, and others, because it was I who told them back in 1968, following my confession to Fr Madden.
When I agreed to a mediation with SDB in February 2001, the Order continued to say categorically that they had no information about my original disclosure, a position they have maintained right up to the point of Madley's recent admission.
I had always believed in my heart that God would not let me down in my quest for justice and my recovery from the years of mental anguish that I have suffered, and I am now able to thank him for being there for me when everyone else had failed me.
The police have now re-opened the criminal investigation, and the consequences from that will unfold in due course. What I want now from you, as head of SDB in the UK, is an apology for what I have suffered, and an explanation as to why the Order continued to deny any knowledge of what had happened to me?
Madley's admission includes a full account of whom he told and how they reacted at the time. He says that he had a long conversation with Fr George Williams after the funeral of Fr Gaffney. During that conversation, Fr Williams, who I believe was the Provincial at the time, told him that, provided he made a pledge not to abuse children again, he would not stand in his way if he applied for the teaching post at Battersea that had become vacant due to Fr Perla's move to become parish priest. The promise was made and the deal concluded.
Fr Williams had also, of course, interviewed me several days after I disclosed to Fr Madden and Fr O'Shea what was happening, but in my case, I was not given the same kind of treatment that Madley was given.
I failed all of my exams in July 68, and when I asked Fr O'Shea, later in September, if I could come back and retake them, he told me there was no room for me. So much for the founding philosophies of Saint John Bosco: to provide the child with an education that would also encompass the growth of the whole person - the journey of excellence.
In February 2001, when I came back to SDB and disclosed once more everything that I had suffered, I was told at the mediation that SDB had no knowledge of what had happened. They said the only information they had was what I was telling them. The Order then tried to buy my silence - for the second time. They even asked me if I would withdraw the allegation I had made to police. I accepted the deal on the basis that I needed to have some evidence that I had faced you once more, and this was the only way to get that.
Now that Madley has told me how the Order helped and protected him, knowing full well that he was child abuser, I am sickened and greatly saddened by the depth of this betrayal and I want you to explain to me what really happened and why I was so badly betrayed.
As I have already explained to your lawyers, the agreement I signed with you back in 2001 is now no longer valid due to the fact that SDB concealed evidence during the mediation process, and I fully intend to bring a civil action against SDB after the criminal trial has ended.
In the meantime, I am giving you one more chance to admit the truth and to apologise to me for destroying my education and putting me through the nightmare I have had to endure for all the years that followed.
Yours sincerely - Graham Wilmer.
On 25 May, 2004, Fr Preston replied:
25 May 2004
Salesian Provincial House
266 Wellington Road North
Stockport
Cheshire
SK4 2QR
Dear Mr Wilmer
Re: Hubert Cecil Madley
I write to confirm receipt of your letter of 24th May addressed to me as provincial of the British province of the Salesians of Don Bosco.
Given the contents of your letter, I consider that it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment without first consulting the province's legal representatives and the members of the Child Protection Team.
Yours sincerel - Francis Preston SDB.
On 7 June, 2004, I received the following reply from Fr Bailey:
7 June 2004
Thornleigh House
Sharples Park
Bolton
BL1 6PQ
Dear Graham
As a matter of courtesy I acknowledge your letter to Fr O'Shea. As the matter is now sadly, back in the hands of our respective solicitors neither Fr O'Shea or I will be responding. Please direct further correspondence through solicitors. I intend no discourtesy, but in the interests of good order any further correspondence will be disregarded and will not be acknowledged.
Yours sincerely
Anthony Bailey SDB.
This is Fr George Williams SDB (on the right).
Fr George Williams - This is the man who, as Provincial Superior for the Salesian Province of Great Britain in 1968, made the decision to protect Madley and give him a teaching post at the Salesian College in Battersea, on the verbal promise made by Madley that he 'would not offend against another child'. He did not keep that promise, of course, because he is a paedophile. He would have gone on to abuse other boys, one of whom has already come forward and told me what Madley did to him, but he has not so far made a formal complaint to the police. Now, new alleagation have been made against Fr George Williams himself by a former Salesian priest who worked closely with Williams. You can read the nature of these allegations by clicking on the 'Lastest Developments' link on the left of the page.
In the photograph, Fr Williams, right, is receiving the certificate of a Papal Blessing from the then Rector, Fr Michael Cunningham. Fr Williams was Provincial Superior in Great Britain from 1964 to1970. He was then summoned to Rome and served from 1971 to 1983 as General Councillor for the English speaking region, travelling many times around the world to visit Salesian provinces in the USA, Australia and India as well as Great Britain. From 1983 to 2002 he stayed at the Salesian Generalate working as a translator of official documents, a service he continues to undertake, via email, from his room at the Salesian's house for elderly Salesians in Bolton. He has so far denied the allegations against him, which are currently being investigated (August 2007) by the Salesian's Child Protection team.
THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM A STATEMENT GIVEN TO ME BY LAWYERS
ACTING FOR THE SALESIANS IN FEB 2000
''SDB have conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations you have made, and there is no evidence to support your claims. The Salesian Order know nothing about this matter''
This 'thorough investigation', they claimed to have conducted, did not in fact include any interview with Hugh Madley - the primary suspect, nor did they interview Fr George Williams. The priest they did speak to was Fr Eddie Fox, another former Provincial Superior, who took over when Fr George Williams's six year term of office as Provincial ended in 1970. It was Fr Fox to said he knew nothing about what had happened, which was true, because Fr Williams had kept it all completely secret. Neither the Salesians nor their lawyers made any contact with Madley from the moment they offered to mediate with me in December 2000. It was not until June 2007, following publication of my book Conspiracy of Faith, that the Current Provincial, Fr Michael Winstanley, instructed a member of the Salesian's Child Protection team, Eileen Campling, to talk to Madley. She interviewed Madley by phone, and he confirmed everything that George Williams and he had discussed back in 1968. Things would have been very different if they had talked to Madley back in December 2000, and he had confirmed to them then what he had discussed with George Williams back in 1968.
This is Fr 'Jock' Madden SDB.Fr Madden was my form master in 1968 and my history teacher. It was to this man that I entrusted my safety when I disclosed to him under the seal of confession what Hugh Madley was doing to me. Instead of helping me, as he could have done and should have done, he failed me completely by coercing me into repeating my disclosure to him once more, but this time not under the seal of confession, then delivering me into the hands of the head teacher, Fr O'Shea, the Rector, Fr Gaffney, and the Provincial Rector, Fr George Williams, all three of whom conspired to silence me and protect Madley and the school's reputation. In 1999, I was contacted by a former pupil at Salesian College Chertsey who told me that he and one other pupil had been abused by Fr Madden in the showers after football games. He said he had never told anyone because he was afraid that his parents would be cross with him because of their devout catholic faith and absolute belief in the integrity of the priests.
In August 2006, I was contacted by a former member of the Salesian Order, who also taught at The Salesian College, Chertsey, between 1966 and 1968. He told me that there were alleagtions of sexual abuse disclosed to him by other boys at Chertsey against Fr Madden. He also told me that he believed Fr Madden had been moved to Chertsey from another Salesian School (Bolton) because allegations had also been made about him by boys at that school.
This is Hubert Cecil Madley, taken in 1982 at Salesian College Battersea.
THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM HUGH MADLEY'S INTERVIEW WITH SURREY POLICE ON 17 OCTOBER 2004. IN THIS INTERVIEW MADLEY EXPLAINS HOW HE WENT TO SEE THE RECTOR ON THE EVENING I HAD TOLD HIM THAT THEY KNEW WHAT HE HAD BEEN DOING TO ME, AND WHAT HE TOLD THE SCHOOL RECTOR AND THE PROVINCIAL RECTOR SUBSEQUENTLY. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE SALESIAN ORDER KNEW EVERYTHING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, BUT WHEN IT CAME TO THE POLICE INVESTIGATION IN APRIL 2000, THEY WERE UNABLE TO REMEMBER ANYTHING, UNLIKE MADLEY, WHO WAS ABLE TO RECOUNT THE EVENTS IN EVERY MINUTE DETAIL. HOW CAN THAT BE?
"It was several weeks after Martin died. Graham said he wanted to speak to me, and came round to the flat after school, this would be about 5ish, and he then asked me if I could meet him later on. At this stage, I didn't know what he was going to tell me.
You didn't know what had been said, or who'd been told, or anything. OK. Were you concerned when he said that he wanted to meet you later on? No worries?
No. I was completely alright. I went to his house between about 6 and 7 o'clock, and spoke to Graham's mum until Graham came home. We went for a drive, and after a few minutes, stopped to talk. He said to me, as far as I can remember, these are his exact words. "They know about us." And, as you can imagine, I was absolutely shattered.
How did you take that to mean, when he said they know about us.? What did you take it to mean? The school knew?
Yeah.
Did he go into any details as to who was told or…?He didn't - he didn't.
You carry on then.I asked how did they know, and he said he didn't know, and it wasn't until recently I knew that he had told them. I thought they'd found out by some other means.
So, you weren't sure. He told you that he didn't know how they knew about it, and you didn't…
But he told me that they wanted me to resign.
Graham told you that?Yes. So, they sent him with a message, effectively, but I didn't realise that until recently.
Graham told you that the school wanted you to resign over you're sexual relationship with Graham?
I was absolutely shattered. I said to Graham at the time that I would deny it. I remember saying that now, and I know that's actually caused him some problems since, which I didn't realise until recently.
What we need to concentrate on is that time, Hugh.I dropped Graham back and went for a drive for a while. There was an un-gated level crossing near Chertsey, and I was going to go over under the train.
Because of what Graham had told you?Because of the shame.
Well, thankfully, you didn't do that. What did actually happen after that, Hugh?I just thought of my family. They wouldn't have wanted me to do that. So, I knew it was no good denying it, so, I went to see the Headmaster, who was Fr O'Shea, but he wasn't around at the time, so, the rector was Fr Gaffney. I went to see him that same evening.
What, after Graham had told you?Yes.
So, it's Fr Gaffney you went and spoke to?Yes, and I told him basically what I've told you, except it was much shorter.
But, he was left in no doubt that you had told him you'd been having a sexual relationship?He was expecting me to come round. He obviously knew what had been going on.
But, what you told him, Hugh - I know you said it wasn't in as much detail - was he aware that you'd been having a sexual relationship with Graham, as a result of you're conversation with Fr Gaffney. Is that what you told him?He knew. Yes, but he knew before, from Graham.
Did you tell him?Yes I did.
So, he was aware that you'd been having a sexual relationship with Graham?
Yes.
And what was his advice - what did he do about it?I can't remember exactly what he said, but I offered him my resignation there and then, and he said that he would see the headmaster in the morning. I presume he'd been away. I didn't know what was going to happen, whether the police would be called in at the time. I think, the following day, I saw Graham at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Chemistry lab, and I started to tell him that I had been to see Fr Gaffney, and it's alright, they believe me. Then I had to break off, because I think someone was coming down the stairs.
So, what you were telling Graham is that…?When I said, he must have thought that I denied it. I didn't get the chance…
To tell him that you'd told the truth?If I can go back to the day before? Fr Gaffney told me to avoid being alone with Graham, as far as possible, except in a professional capacity.
So, this Fr Gaffney, he was what, the Deputy Head?No, he was the Rector.
But he was aware of it?And he told the Headmaster the following day.
And his advice, when you told him, was don't be alone with Graham?Yes. He didn't say I had to go from the school immediately.
So, then what happened, Hugh?Well, I suppose the next three or four weeks, I was just…
You were still working there?Yes.
Still teaching?I worked until the end of that year, and not long after that.
So, was anything else said to you by any of the other staff?
No. Fr O'Shea didn't come to me. I was expecting to be called into him, but I wasn't. Not long after this, Fr Gaffney died, as it happened. I can't think of a gap, but it would give some idea of the time if you can find out when this happened. At his funeral, the Provincial Rector - he's the boss of the Salesians in England and Scotland and Wales. He was at the funeral, and I went to see him to apologise for what I'd done, and the difficulty I had caused the Salesians. He knew all about it.
What was his name?Fr George Williams.
Is he still about?
Yes, to the best of my knowledge.
So, Fr George Williams is like the sort of Head Honcho, and you told him at Fr Gaffney's funeral?But, he already knew.
So, somebody had told Williams, then? Were you surprised that this Fr George Williams knew what had gone on, or not?
Yes and no. I didn't know how far things had spread.
Still, nothing happened to you - you were still teaching?
I'm still teaching, but, obviously, I'd given my resignation at that time.
You had resigned, so you were working your month's notice out, what ever it was?
The year's notice, isn't it, until July? I can't remember exactly when it happened, when I resigned.
So, it was at the end of the teaching year that you were going to go?
Yeah.
So, that would be the beginning of the summer holiday?Yes. Anyway, basically, I told him what I'd told Fr Gaffney, and what I've told you. We talked about a few things, I can't remember, and he asked me what I was doing next year. I said that I hadn't got anything sorted out. I'd applied for a few jobs, and I'd either been too late, or they were filled with more qualified people, or whatever. So, he said to me "There's going to be a post for a Chemistry teacher in Battersea."
What, a Salesian school in Battersea?Yeah. After I got up off the floor, as you can imagine, he made it clear that, if I applied for the job, there wouldn't be a problem getting it.
That must have been a surprise for you?I couldn't believe it!
Him being aware of what happened between you and Graham, then, offering you a job at another school?
It maybe they wanted to keep their eye on me there, rather than me going to another school.
Did you, at any time after it had come out, have any other sexual encounters with Graham?
No. Absolutely not.
OK. I am going to ask you one question, and it's a matter for you whether you answer it or not. Since the last sexual encounter with Graham, has anything taken place between you and any other pupil?No. I learned a very hard lesson."
For The Record
Hugh Madley joined the teaching staff at Salesian College, Battersea, in September 1968, where he remained teaching young boys for the next 31 years. He was supposed to be monitored during his time there, but within a matter of months, he was taking boys from that school on camping trips.
This is Fr Tony Bailey SDB.
Fr Bailey, along with Fr John Gilheney, represented the Salesian Order at the meeting I had with them in February 2001. They both insisted that the Salesian Order had no knowledge of what I was saying had happened. Fr Bailey is a member of the Salesian's Child Protection Team. He told me during the meeting that if what I was saying was true - he felt that while Fr O'Shea might have been wrong in not telling my parents what I had disclosed - he was right not to have told the police. The fact that the offences Madley had committed against me had been on the statute book since The Sexual Offences Act of 1963 was passed into law (three years before Madley abused me), seemed to have no impact on Fr Bailey or the Salesian Order.
Fr John Gilheney SDB
Headteacher Salesian College Chertsey 1977 - 1990
