Here's why a man who claimed he was abused at a religious school in Mirfield can't sue

An author who says his life has been blighted by sexual abuse at a West Yorkshire religious school has been told by a judge that he left it too late to sue.

Peter Murray, 60, had ambitions to become a priest when he went to St Peter Claver College in Mirfield in the 1970s.

But he claims he was subjected to a campaign of abuse at the hands of a teacher - the now dead Michael Riddle - when he was aged between 14 and 16.

He sued the religious order that ran the school - the Sons of the Sacred Heart of Jesus - for abuse which he says overshadowed his life.

But his compensation bid today hit the buffers when Mr Justice Nicol ruled that he had delayed too long in launching his claim.

He had not taken legal action until 34 after the normal time limit that applies to personal injury claims had expired, said the judge.

Mary O’Rourke QC, for Liverpool-born Mr Murray, said the abuse he suffered in 1973 and 1974 had “dominated his adult life.”

Explaining the delay in bringing the case, she said Mr Murray “had only a gradual realisation of the effect of the abuse on him as an adult.”

He also had no clear understanding of his legal rights until historical abuse cases started to be highlighted in the media.

His mother had “a high admiration” for the order and it was understandable that he had not complained until after she passed away in 2011.

But the judge said the order’s defence to the claim had been “significantly prejudiced” by Mr Riddle’s death, aged 93, in 1999.

His demise meant he could not give his account of his time at the school or be questioned in court.

As he was only a “voluntary” teacher there were no personnel records and that too prejudiced the order’s defence.

Many documents had been destroyed over the years and that also meant it would be harder to uncover the full facts.

Miss O’Rourke said evidence showed that Mr Murray had endured “grooming, progressing to serious and repeated instances of abuse.”

Letters from Mr Riddle to Mr Murray “show a wholly inappropriate level of affection and intimacy,” she told the judge.

Mr Murray, who has written a book about his experiences, had suffered “intense confusion and distress” as a result of the abuse.

He had been left “feeling emotionally troubled and insecure, guilty and anxious”, the court heard.

He has trouble sleeping, has endured suicidal thoughts and “preoccupation with the abuse, including flashbacks.”

After giving up thoughts of the priesthood, he forged a career as a nurse, but was diagnosed with PTSD in 2015.

Miss O’Rourke claimed that the order had “clearly failed in its duty of care to a 14-year-old boy in its care and when acting in loco parentis.”

But defence counsel, William Norris QC, said: “The order neither admits nor denies that Mr Murray was abused as alleged, or at all.”

Although he accepted that the school owed Mr Murray a duty of care, the barrister denied that it had been breached.

“There is no basis upon which to find that the school authorities knew at the time that Mr Riddle posed a risk to children,” he said.

Dismissing Mr Murray’s claim today, Mr Justice Nicol said it would not be “equitable” to allow his case to proceed after such a long delay.