Northern Ireland

School PSNI abuse claim questioned by alleged victim

Terry Doran was paid £50,000 in settlement after taking a case against St Columb's College and Raymond Gallagher
Terry Doran was paid £50,000 in settlement after taking a case against St Columb's College and Raymond Gallagher Terry Doran was paid £50,000 in settlement after taking a case against St Columb's College and Raymond Gallagher

Claims by a high profile Catholic college that allegations of sexual abuse by a staff member were made in 2009 and reported to police have been questioned.

Terry Doran last night disputed claims by officials at St Columb's College in Derry that allegations about former teacher Raymond Gallagher were made in 2009.

In a statement the school has claimed the historic allegations were passed on to police and social services.

Mr Doran has previously said that he first raised his allegations of abuse with the college in 1978 - 31 years earlier.

Last month the 59-year-old revealed the full extent of abuse he says he suffered at the hands of Gallagher, a former vice-principal at St Columb's College.

In 2015 Mr Doran received a £50,000 settlement after taking a case against the college and Gallagher.

A well-known music and Irish language teacher at the prestigious college Gallagher died in 2007.

Speaking to the Irish News last month, Mr Doran revealed how he and his father raised his claims of abuse with then school president Monsignor James Coulter more than four decades ago, but they were immediately rejected.

"He said 'we'll have no more of this nonsense talk and anyway it does not affect his ability as a teacher, now, go back to your class'," Mr Doran said.

In a statement, a spokesman for the school's board of governors said it was "aware of allegations of historical child abuse against a former teacher" who is now deceased.

“While the alleged incidents date back to the 1970s, the current Board and school leadership can confirm that when these allegations were made to the school in 2009, the details were passed on to the PSNI and to social services by the then Principal," it said.

However, Mr Doran last night challenged the school's claims saying he reported the matter to the school in the late 1970s

"They knew about it in 1978 - 31 years before that so they allowed this man to continue...so he is there for another 14 or 15 years after I have made the complaint and Coulter definitely knew about it," he said.

Mr Doran also claims that when a journalist contacted the school on his behalf in 2009 his allegations were also dismissed.

The St Columb's spokesman said that the school takes "such allegations of abuse extremely seriously and following recent media reports where additional claims were made, we immediately contacted the PSNI to establish if they are currently investigating any alleged historical abuse cases associated with the school".