Victims of the worst child sex scandal in the Midlands have blasted an apology from the home where the abuse took place. Last week, trustees of the Father Hudson's Society publicly said sorry after a series of lawsuits against the home in Coleshill, Warwickshire, came to an end. But astonishingly the society did not write to victims to tell them - leaving some to hear the news from the Sunday Mercury. One victim, Gerald McEvoy, said: "We have been fighting for more than a decade for this yet the home did not even have the grace to write to us. "It just shows the level of contempt with which victims have been treated all along." Mr McEvoy, 59, was among dozens of former residents who launched legal action against Father Hudson's after the conviction of paedophile priest Eric Taylor. Many reached out-of-court settlements, with some thought to be as much as £40,000. Taylor was jailed in 1998 after being convicted of 18 sexual offences which occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. He was finally defrocked in 2001 and eventually died in prison, aged 81, three years ago. Several other claims against Father Hudson's have been settled in the last few weeks - on the condition that the society did not admit liability. Kevin Caffrey, director of the society, said: "The present trustees, who had no involvement or responsibility for Eric Taylor's appointment or his activities, have been appalled to hear of the abuse suffered by some children. "The trustees are very sorry about all the victims and the way their lives must have been affected so tragically." But Mr McEvoy, from Birmingham, hit out at the apology. "If only there had been a statement of regret from the society 10 years ago, many of us would feel far less resentful than we do now," he said. "Instead the church asked Taylor to plead not guilty meaning that I, among others, had to appear in court and relive the whole horrific experience again. "You would think that the society would at least be able to handle an apology sensitively. But instead I am appalled to find out via the Sunday Mercury, instead of being told in person. "It is the least they could have done." Last night, the law firm behind many of the successful claims said that there were still other abuse cases in the pipeline. Richard Scorer, of Pannone & Partners, added: "We have three more cases in the early stages, so this is certainly not over yet. "This is a particularly vicious story for those involved. There was sadism from the nuns and systematic sexual abuse. It was horrendous." | 
