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Lawyer gets OK for legal damages claim against Preston school (From Preston and Leyland Citizen)
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Lawyer gets OK for legal damages claim against Preston school
1:40pm Wednesday 6th May 2009
A FORMER City lawyer who says he made a mess of his life because he was sexually abused at a Jesuit-run school in Lancashire has won the right to pursue a £5million damages action.
Patrick Raggett claimed he was subjected to years of “insidious” abuse by a priest at Preston Catholic College, who has since died.
Mr Raggett, 50, of west London, told the High Court that, while he was naked, the priest measured him “to chart his growth”, filmed him performing exercises, photographed him and touched him inappropriately.
He says that he did not connect his experiences at school with years of under-achievement at work, a failed marriage and binge drinking until he had therapy after an April 2005 breakdown.
The governors of the college, which closed in 1978, deny liability and say that, even if the abuse occurred, the case could not proceed as it was brought years outside the legal time limit.
But Mrs Justice Swift ruled that the case could go ahead to a full trial of the issues.
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