A monk who sexually abused two pupils brought the church and the North Yorkshire boarding school where he taught into “serious disrepute”, a judge said.
Michael James Callaghan, known as Father James, has been jailed for seven years for preying on the vulnerable teenage boys at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire.
Judge Richard Clews, sentencing at Durham Crown Court, told the 71-year-old: “It cannot go unsaid that your actions have brought the Catholic church and the school into serious disrepute by their nature and number.”
Following a trial last month at Teesside Crown Court, Callaghan was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault on one pupil in the 1990s and one count of sexual assault on another teenager in the 2010s.
The older victim, neither of whom can be identified, faced the priest in court as he read out a statement in which he said “Father James was manipulative and controlling”.
He said: “My life was hijacked when I was just 14 and I have been dealing with the fallout ever since.”
The court heard how the house master groomed the boy and engineered ways to be alone with him, took him out of school for meals and gave him cigarettes.
The complainant said in his police interview that Callaghan would “take on the role of a boy I had a crush on” and they would kiss and simulate sex, telling officers he “hated the sexual bit of it” and realised as an adult it “wasn’t right”.
The second victim, who had his bottom fondled by Callaghan, said it was “weird and quite frightening” that his abuser was a priest.
In a victim statement which was read out for him, he said he hoped Callaghan could be rehabilitated, and “that he may in time examine his conscience, practice repentance and change his ways”.
David Lamb KC, defending, said Callaghan had sought medical help to address his attraction to boys even before he joined Ampleforth, that he had no previous convictions and that he had expressed remorse after his conviction.
The judge said Callaghan, of Moortown, Leeds, would be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be on the sex offender register for life.
‘He chose to prey on me’
The court heard victim impact statements from both men in which the men spoke about the impact Callaghan’s abuse had had on their lives.
The first victim described how he felt there were two parts to the abuse he suffered at the hands of Callaghan – the sub-conscious effects from before his acknowledgement of what happened, and the devastating impact on his life since then.
He described how he became withdrawn, stopped taking part in activities he enjoyed, and how it has affected his view of the world and impacted him both financially and mentally.
He said: “This man knows what he has done, he knows exactly how this will have affected me. He knew what he was doing was wrong – why else would it have had to be a secret?”
He continued: “Yet, when given the opportunity to acknowledge this himself, he chose to continue the abuse by denying it.
“He chose to leave me, when I was already devastated myself, having to fight for the 14-year-old boy he hand-picked for his own gratification.
The second victim said: “I looked up to him; I trusted him. And what was the response? He chose to violate my boundaries; first to groom me over a period of time, and then to sexually assault me.”
He described how he suffers from nightmares, panic attacks, becomes startled if someone unexpectedly touches him, and still has sleepless nights to this day.
“He chose to prey on me, in full knowledge of how very vulnerable I was. It all leads me to ask: How come? Why? And how obsessed was he with me in particular, or was I one of a larger number of victims?” he said.
‘Recoil in horror’
Judge Clews said right-thinking people would “recoil in horror” at the idea of a Roman Catholic priest having a sexual relationship with a boy.
The school, described in court as “the Catholic Eton”, said after the sentencing that it had “overhauled” it safeguarding systems.
In a statement, it said: “Ampleforth College deplores abuse and offers a heartfelt apology to the victims and their families for the profound suffering and pain that Michael James Callaghan has inflicted upon them.
“We acknowledge past failings and feel great sorrow at the terrible betrayal of trust.”
It said the monk left the school in 2018 and it fully supported the police inquiries which began in 2022.
The statement added: “We are committed to reporting any safeguarding concerns to the relevant authorities and supporting the police and relevant authorities in any investigation.
“We actively offer any help we can give to survivors of abuse and we commend their courage in speaking out.”
‘No remorse’
Speaking after the sentencing today, Detective Constable Alison Morris of North Yorkshire Police’s Non-Recent Abuse Investigation Team said: “Not only did Callaghan abuse his position of trust in the most appalling way, taking advantage of vulnerable boys he should have been caring for and protecting, he denied his offences throughout and showed no remorse for the pain and suffering he caused.
“I want to pay tribute to the incredible bravery of the victims, whose courage and support throughout the investigation were vital in ensuring Callaghan was brought to justice. I hope today’s outcome brings them some sense of closure.
“I also want to take this opportunity to reassure any other victims of sexual abuse that the passage of time is no barrier to justice. We are absolutely committed to investigating these offences, no matter when they took place, and specially trained officers are ready to listen, support you, and take action.”