‘How ‘Catholic Eton’ ruined my life’

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Sunday, 27 July 2025 Good morning and welcome to From the Editor. In the 1990s, hundreds of miles from home, Thomas, a student, was subjected to years of abuse from a housemaster at Ampleforth College. Decades on, he is still dealing with the fallout of Father James’s behaviour. He told his heart-wrenching story to Jack Rear. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback here. Allister Heath, Sunday Telegraph Editor P.S. You can enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Today’s headlines Elite police squad to monitor anti-migrant posts on social media Starmer risks clash with Trump on Gaza Taliban fighters ‘brought to Britain’ in airlift after data leak Recognising Palestine would reward murder and rape, says Israel’s ambassador Migrant hotel protests spread nationwide Nation prays for Ben Stokes’ hamstring as India dig in Proud to be British Read more from journalists who champion our culture, history and values Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   ‘How Britain’s ‘Catholic Eton’ ruined my life’ Michael James Callaghan (Father James) was in charge of caring for 60 or so boys Jack Rear Lifestyle and Features Writer   When Thomas’s parents dropped him off at the gates of one of England’s most prestigious public schools in the mid-1990s, he was terrified. There was something about Ampleforth College, located just outside of York and hundreds of miles from his family home, that made him feel isolated and afraid. That vulnerability was noticed by Father James, one of the housemasters at the school, known as the “Catholic Eton”, who swooped in to take Thomas under his wing. Aged 14, Thomas was too naive, too trusting, too open-hearted – too young – to realise what designs the priest had on him. By the time Father James’s true intentions became clear, the teenager and his whole family had already been caught in his snare. When Thomas approached The Telegraph to tell his story for the first time, I felt an immense weight of responsibility. It took him decades to be able to open up about his experiences as a teenager, the broken template he’d been given for relationships which he’s only now beginning to unpick. Over the course of a two-hour phone call, Thomas revealed his story. What struck me was just how rote Father James’s abuse of Thomas was. As though someone had written a manual for paedophiles which he’d followed step-by-step. Thomas had felt the same way when he noticed the pattern. Watching a documentary, decades later, about another criminal who abused teenagers, he saw his experience reflected back at him. Only then was he able to put his story into context and see it for what it was: grooming. We think we know this story. The priest and the boy. It’s so well-worn it almost borders on cliché. But until we are all able to see the patterns, until we can all understand the careful methodologies these predators use on their victims, heart-wrenching stories such as Thomas’s will keep happening. Read the full story here ➤   Stop moaning Australia, your player dived Hugo Keenan scored with the last play of the game, finally giving the Lions the lead Oliver Brown at the MCG   I’ve been to so many special sporting occasions but the British and Irish Lions’ series-clinching 29-26 win against Australia at the MCG was something else. It had everything; a fabulous game packed with tries, a brilliant comeback from the Lions against a resurgent host nation and a generous dollop of controversy. Australia were furious at Jac Morgan’s clearout on Carlo Tizzano, but I was just as horrified at the blatant play-acting by the replacement flanker. Elsewhere, my colleague Gavin Mairs hailed the Lions’ achievement, while Will Greenwood thinks this is the game that saved Australian rugby and ensured the Lions will return in 12 years. Read Oliver’s analysis here ➤   Opinion and analysis   Janet Daley There’s still one way that Britain can awaken from this nightmare Continue reading ➤     Daniel Hannan Our police and Establishment have turned against us. The country is on the brink Continue reading ➤     Zoe Strimpel No one should shame fat people. But let’s not just deny reality either Continue reading ➤   Time spent wisely See another side to today’s biggest stories with Britain’s leading comment writers Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   Must reads My chilling decade on the front line of university culture wars Roger Mosey says universities are stronger if they are open and free in their thinking The truth behind the autism curve How oil-rich Texas became America’s net zero capital ‘A criminal gang stole £20k’s worth of racing bikes from our Airbnb in France’ Adrian Dunbar: Woke fear of being called racist is stopping the police from doing their job     The best of the Telegraph   Are you on track to be a pension millionaire? It may sound like a pie-in-the-sky number, but a million pounds could really be the amount you need to save to enjoy a comfortable retirement. So how do you get there? Try our calculator to find out whether you’re on track to save a million. Simply input your age, salary, the percentage you save, and the size of your current pension pot and it will calculate the age at which you can expect to become a millionaire. You can then adjust the sliders to figure out how to get there sooner – or how to grow the pot even more. Click here to use our tool ➤   Discuss Every day our journalists discuss the day’s biggest issues with subscribers on our app and on our website. Xanthe Clay, Telegraph columnist, advises one reader on American alternatives to British staples. Beryl Colwell We’re six British women living in the USA and missing a good old-fashioned tea time. Suggestions?   Xanthe Clay While the US does amazing cookies, it isn’t so good at the classic British biscuit, and you’ll struggle to find an understated wedge of Victoria sponge, as they favour gigantic four-layer cakes with lavish amounts of buttercream. So, some ingenuity is called for. You can buy the likes of Digestives and Hobnobs from englishteastore.com, or you might stumble on them in a speciality store. Crumpets are worth hunting for too, especially Duffy’s. Sandwiches should be no problem: cucumber, of course, and ham with Colman’s mustard. As for the tea itself: the standard brew available in US supermarkets is yellow Lipton, which is barely adequate, and the rest is mostly too mild to drink with milk. If you can’t get hold of a proper British blend then brew the Lipton for three minutes using double the number of teabags recommended – in a teapot of course, but I don’t need to tell you that.   Free thinkers wanted Discuss and debate today’s biggest talking points, directly with our journalists Enjoy three months’ free access to The Telegraph. Cancel at any time. Subscribe now   Listen Click below to enjoy one of our agenda-setting podcasts   Puzzles Test your trivia skills and put the answers below in order. Play all three rounds of today’s trivia game, Sorted, plus our full range of brainteasers on Telegraph Puzzles. Get a head start on today’s Cross Atlantic by cracking this clue: Friday’s Panagram was HOLIDAYED. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle.   Newsletters Read and sign up to our newsletters Healthy Living • Tuesday Improve your diet, sex, sleep and gut health – and live life to the fullest + Sign up   Trump Unpacked • Friday Find out how the 47th president is reshaping America and the wider world + Sign up   Matt • Subscriber exclusive Step inside the mind of our master cartoonist, plus an exclusive unseen sketch + Sign up   Three months’ free access Subscribe now

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