Former St Bede’s College priest Rowan Donoghue jailed for sexual abuse of boys

Source: Radio New Zealand

A former priest who sexually abused four boys at St Bede’s College more than two decades ago has been jailed for seven years and eight months.

It comes as his victims have told a court of the impact of his offending.

“It was a violation of a child – of trust, of innocence, and of dignity. It changed the course of my life in ways I’m still only discovering,” one of his victims says.

RNZ earlier revealed that former St Bede’s College priest Rowan Donoghue had admitted sexually abusing four boys at the school between 1996 and 2000.

Since then, RNZ has revealed that Donoghue admitted sexual abuse to leaders of his religious order, the Society of Mary, in 2007. However, he was unable to identify the anonymous complainant and instead of notifying police, the order sent him to Australia for a six-month programme that provided “professional risk assessment and therapy” for people accused of sexual abuse.

• Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nz

It was also revealed that St Bede’s College had been notified nearly 20 years ago of allegations involving Donoghue.

On Wednesday, Donoghue was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court by Judge Jane Farish to seven years and eight months imprisonment. She did not impose a minimum term of imprisonment.

Sentencing began with the victim impact statements being read.

‘A battle of survival’

One of the victims said coming into boarding school he felt confident he could make a difference.

“Little did I know this would turn into a battle of survival,” he said.

He said his family put a lot of trust in the school to “guide and nurture me”, with the person entrusted to be his caregiver the one who would go on to sexually abuse him.

He said such offending impacts not only the victims but everyone who has ever loved them, helped them and befriended them.

The victim said Donoghue abused him “when I was my most vulnerable”.

“My five years at St Bede’s was a blur,” he said.

“I left more lost than when I turned up.”

He said he was “extremely hard on myself” as he got older and did his best to try to “put on a brave face” at home with his family.

About five years ago he told his wife about the abuse he had suffered, which he said was the first step towards the healing process.

He said writing his victim impact statement had been one of the hardest things he had ever done.

He said the offending turned him into a “totally different person”.

“This wasn’t meant to be me, life wasn’t supposed to be this hard.”

He said while he was on the path to healing, the offending would be with the victims forever.

“Our own little life sentence.”

He commended all the other victims who had come forward.

Another victim began their statement by saying they were standing in court to give voice to something that for many years they could not speak about at all.

“When I was 13 years old, I was a child boarding at St Bede’s College. I was away from my family, in a place that was supposed to provide safety, education, and guidance. Instead, it became the setting where my trust was profoundly violated by someone who held authority, respect, and spiritual power.”

When the offending occurred they were isolated from their family, and did not have the words or understanding to process what was happening to them.

“I only knew that something felt deeply wrong, and yet I also felt confusion, fear, and a sense of responsibility that no child should ever carry. The person who harmed me was someone I had been taught to trust without question. That betrayal has shaped my life in ways that are difficult to fully explain.”

He said that for many years he struggled with alcohol and drug addiction while also trying to “forge a career and maintain some sense of normality”.

“The things that should have mattered to me at that age – my academic progress, my sporting goals, my ambitions became irrelevant – merely memories of a life I felt no longer attainable. My focus shifted to simply coping. The abuse altered my sense of direction and purpose at a formative time in my life.”

He said one of the most damaging legacies of the abuse he suffered was how he felt about himself.

“The hatred and loathing that should have been directed at you, the one who harmed me, was instead aimed at myself. For years, I carried shame, self-blame, and a sense that I was somehow responsible, weak, cowardly, and that I’d allowed myself to be a victim.

“That internal struggle has been constant and deeply damaging. I would often refer to myself as the ‘great pretender’, showing only the parts of myself I wanted others to see and wearing an emotional mask to portray a person that I didn’t feel I was.”

What happened to him was not a misunderstanding, nor was it “harmless”, he said.

“It was a violation of a child – of trust, of innocence, and of dignity. It changed the course of my life in ways I’m still only discovering.”

Coming forward was one of the hardest things he had ever done, and he thanked the other victims for doing so.

“Today, I speak not only for my younger self – the 13-year-old who did not have a voice – but also for the person I am now, who deserves to be heard.”

‘You broke my trust and you broke me’

Another victim told the court the “so-called religious human being” that was in the dock “sexually abused me on multiple occasions”.

“Rowan, as you performed your disgusting, invasive and sexually inappropriate acts, I was unaware how dark my path would get. And it got dark. The impact on my life has been hard, embarrassing, broken, lonely and at times suicidal. I am continuing to work on part of me that you have broken.

“Rowan, you preyed on and groomed me as a young, very vulnerable 16-year-old boy, You broke my trust and you broke me. Only in the last couple of years with my hard self mahi and unconditional tautoko from my partner have I been able to enjoy life again. Those years I have lost have finally caught up with you. You made me feel scared, lonely, and helpless.”

Crown prosecutor Courtney Martyn said no sentence would adequately reflect or recognise the harm the court had heard about. She also acknowledged the victims for their bravery and courage for reading their victim impact statements.

She said the victims were “highly vulnerable”, not only due to their age but also the fact they were isolated from their families.

Donoghue had a “unique position of moral authority”.

“He was a parental substitute. He was to care for those young boarders day and night, he was able to exploit that … to his own advantage.”

She said it was not opportunistic offending, rather Donoghue “groomed them to create an environment of apparent normality”.

She said the offending was “grossly abusive behaviour”.

Martyn referred to an affidavit from Donoghue which she said provided context to his own childhood and the trauma he suffered but said it was not sufficient to justify a significant discount.

She said Donoghue had provided a number of letters of support from family members, members of youth groups and those involved with the church.

He also provided a letter from a friend who he played golf with over a long period and who “always enjoyed Rowan’s company at the golf club”.

“The Crown does not dispute that the other letters of support indicate Mr Donoghue was an appreciated priest who played an active role within the church community and was a good friend and or family member.

“However, as the court is aware, it is an outdated concept that people cannot occupy dual roles of loved family member, or friend but also abuser.”

She said it was in his position as a “trusted and beloved priest and mentor” he exploited.

“His role as a priest allowed him access to vulnerable children who he offended against over a prolonged period.

“His very standing in the church and role at the school facilitated his offending.”

Donoghue’s lawyer, Joshua Lucas, told the court Donoghue had acknowledged his wrongdoing and he was “profoundly sorry”.

“He knows what he did was completely wrong.

“He knows this has had a powerful and traumatic impact on all the victims. He knows he needs to be held accountable.”

Lucas said there was nothing he could say to make things right. He asked for discounts for his guilty plea and efforts at rehabilitation.

Judge Farish told Donoghue his role was to protect the victims and help them understand the rules of the religion by which he was ordained under.

“Yet you harmed all of these boys, in the most serious of ways.”

She said the victims were “very courageous”.

‘A huge imbalance of power’

Judge Farish said the men should never have had to be ashamed of who they were.

“The shame rests solely on your shoulders.”

She said apart from the offending he appeared to be someone who was able to get on well in society.

His early childhood did have some deprivation, but nothing that was causative of his offending, Judge Farish said.

She said Donoghue had expressed remorse for his actions.

“You now have some understanding of the harm you have caused on the victims.”

She said there were several aggravating factors including the scale of the offending and the span of time it occurred over.

There was also the vulnerability of the victims.

“They were isolated, it was at night in a place where they thought they would be safe.

“You were in a position … they had been taught to respect, there was a huge imbalance of power.”

There was also a significant breach of trust as well as planning and premeditation.

Reviews under way

The school is investigating what was known historically about Donoghue and how the matters were addressed. That work is being led by the current board and rector Jon McDowall.

The Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money earlier said there needed to be an independent investigation into historical allegations of sexual abuse at St Bede’s College.

RNZ earlier revealed that another priest, former rector Fr Brian Cummings, was also accused of abuse by three different complainants in 1996, 2014 and 2023. Cummings, who died in 2022, “strenuously denied” the allegations.

A lawyer’s firm earlier told RNZ it was acting for eight former St Bede’s College students in relation to sexual assault allegations involving at least 10 named priests and staff members, as well as sexual assaults from other students “as a result of inadequate staff supervision”.

Where to get help:

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand