Church must pay for abuse

2005-04-14 21:04

Oakland - Two brothers who were abused as children by a Catholic priest in California have been awarded $1.9m in damages, news reports said Thursday.

Tom and Bob Thatcher were abused by the now-defrocked Reverend Robert Ponciroli in the late 1970s and early 1980s when they were altar boys at his church in Antioch.

According to the evidence, Ponciroli molested them after luring them to his bedroom in the rectory, where the boys had come to pull weeds in the garden.

The verdict was the first to force the church to pay punitive damages in a sex abuse case and could set a precedent for 150 similar cases pending against the church in Northern California.

Under the terms of the verdict, the damages must be paid by the Oakland diocese itself and not its insurance company.

The award, the brothers said, punishes the diocese for transferring Ponciroli to their church in Antioch despite knowing he was a paedophile.

The brothers had originally sought about $27m in compensation from the church, but said they were satisfied with Thursday's decision.

"We exposed a lot of wrongdoing," said Tom Thatcher, 34.

"The church was called despicable on the record. They say they have changed their ways, and I hope they have."

"Justice was served today," said Bob Thatcher, 33. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA