Comboni Missionaries Abuse

I reported Father John Pinkman to Father Fulvi with Tony Summers 1967 – nothing was done.

I also, on my own, told Father Wade about Father Valmaggia. I didn’t go into description with Wade as he really didn’t want the embarrassment of it hearing it but he understood. He told me to avoid going to Valmaggia.

That was almost impossible and although I did avoid going, Fr Valmaggia trapped me in the corridor one day and told me to come back to the infirmary as I hadn’t been for a long time.

Circumstantial Evidence

I find it hard to describe what he used to do to me, but suffice it to say that under the guise of washing my penis, under the skin, he would try and masturbate me.

None of us I think were circumcised, or if we were it was for medical reasons as Catholics didn’t do it generally. I always managed to hold back from any erection and I think he knew I was doing this and I am sure he found it very frustrating.

He would always say “Don’t worry if it gets big, it’s natural” and this was his way of really encouraging me. I never allowed it and put my mind elsewhere.

To this day I knew he shouldn’t be doing what he was doing but I was trapped and felt that he would eventually give up and he always did.

Early Morning Call

It was only on one occasion when I was ill in bed in the infirmary with ’flu that he woke me very early one morning and tried again to masturbate me.

He would probably have succeeded then as we all know what happens when we wake in early mornings before we go to the bathroom.

However Eddie Roberts, who was sick in the bed opposite hadn’t woke up and suddenly asked who had turned the light on. Valmaggia quickly threw the blanket over me and stopped. That was in either ‘65 or ‘66 but was before I told Father Fulvi about Pinkman.