A victim of abuse at a Fife residential school has revealed he receive £80,000 in compensation.
Chris Maher says the payout, combined with emotional support, helped lift 30 years of frustration.
And he is now urging other victims to also seek redress.
Chris was a pupil at Starley Hall School in Burntisland from 1993 until 1997.
The now 44-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, was sexually abused and suffered a broken collar bone in an attack there when he was a teenager.
His subsequent application to Scotland’s Redress Scheme was successful and he also received a formal apology from the Scottish Government.
The scheme was set up by the government to compensate people who were abused in care as children before 2004.
Chris spoke to The Courier about his ordeal after reading our report from the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry on June 7.
The article included evidence from the mother of a former Starley Hall pupil, who described the school as “a house of horrors”.
‘Bad time for me’
Chris said he wanted other victims of abuse while in care to know the avenues open to them.
“If speaking now helps another victim come forward in the future then it’s done some good,” he said.
“I’ve nothing to hide. Starley Hall was a bad time for me and people should know what it was like.”
Originally from Dundee, Chris was sent to the Burntisland school due to a difficult home life.
“It was meant to be a safe space but I was put into a worse situation,” he said.
“I’m registered disabled because of a brain injury at birth, and I’m doubly incontinent.
“I was bullied by staff and pupils for it because they thought it was due to laziness.”
Chris reported the sexual assaults against him at the time but was not believed.
His broken collar bone was left for five days without treatment.
Drug addiction
Chris turned to heroin at the age of just 13 as a way of coping with the ongoing Starley Hall abuse.
He remained addicted for more than 20 years and also suffered flashbacks and post traumatic stress disorder.
However, he reached a turning point in 2019 when he was put in touch with Victim Support Scotland.
“They called me and mentioned the redress scheme,” said Chris.
Non-financial redress is also available, including a formal apology and emotional support.
Chris said: “I thought I wouldn’t get anything but I was offered £80,000.
“That was in February last year and it’s helped me achieve a couple of life goals.”
Redress Scotland helped lift 30 years of frustration
Chris now has his own home in Edinburgh, has learned to drive and has a car.
“Coming forward helped me lift the weight of 30 years of built-up frustration,” he said.
“I feared opening up about it would set me back but I had a really good team around me and I was able to deal with it.
“It’s about justice and I’ve now closed the door on that part of my life.”
More information about Redress Scotland, including how to apply, is available here.
