Detectives investigating historic sexual abuse at a school for trainee Catholic priests in the 1960s and 1970s have said they would not rule out further enquiries if new information comes to light.
The appeal comes after alleged abuse victim Mark Murray, 59, went to Italy to secretly film a meeting with Father Romano Nardo, now 73, the priest he claims systematically abused him when he was 14.
The abuse inquiry is centred on the former Mirfield Junior Seminary, based at historic Roe Head in Far Common Road, run by the Verona Fathers, now the Comboni Missionaries.
West Yorkshire Police launched an investigation into claims of historic sex abuse over a decade ago and have attempted to extradite Fr Nardo for questioning but the Italian authorities have deemed him unfit to travel.
In the short clip posted online by Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Mr Murray tells Fr Nardo: “You have had a massive, negative impact on my life and my family and my children. I tried many times to meet with you.
“Romano Nardo, do you know who I am? I think you do. Mark Murray. Do you remember me?”
In the video, Fr Nardo mumbles: “If it is my fault that you bear a heavy cross, I believe I should ask the Lord for forgiveness. I’m sorry. I’m very sorry.”
Mr Murray replied: “You abused me. I spent many years thinking I would wake up one morning and start abusing children because I was abused by you.”
Last year the Comboni Missionaries reached an out-of-court settlement with Mr Murray and 10 other victims, paying them each between £7,000 and £30,000.
Kathy Perrin, a lawyer with the Catholic Church Insurance Association, which represented the order, said the payment was not an admission of guilt.
She said: “The order chose to come to a settlement because they could not trace their insurance for the period in question so they would have faced a huge legal bill had it gone to trial.
“Everything happened an incredibly long time ago and two of the priests who were accused are now deceased. My clients simply don’t know what happened at Mirfield and don’t feel that it can be established now.”
Det Inspector Michael Brown, of Kirklees Safeguarding Unit, said: “All allegations of sexual offences are taken very seriously, no matter when they occurred, and our emphasis is always on supporting and protecting victims of crime.
“This is a long running and complicated investigation which dates back to alleged offences that were committed in the 1960s.
There is an individual who we would like to speak to in connection with these allegations. This person left the UK for Italy at the time of the alleged offences and has not returned since then.
“All legal avenues have been pursued to enforce his return to UK but his ill health means we are unable to go through the formal procedures to extradite him.
“I would like to stress that this investigation is not closed but has reached a point where we can’t go any further.
“If new information comes to light then it will be considered in conjunction with the wider investigation.”
Anyone with information should contact West Yorkshire Police on 101.
In unrelated investigations, police would like to speak to the people pictured in the image gallery below. The people pictured in the images may be witnesses as well as suspects. If you recognise anyone, contact police on 101 quoting the reference number on the image caption.
