Kamloops Catholic school student alleges historic sexual abuse by nun

A former student of a Catholic school in Kamloops is suing over alleged historic abuse at the hands of a nun.

The former St. Ann’s Academy student alleges the abuse took place while they were a young child and happened multiple times over a three-year period, ending in the early 1990s.

According to a notice of claim in BC Supreme Court, the nun used her position of authority to “ensure” the student wouldn’t tell anyone, while the sexual and physical assaults increased in frequency and intensity over time.

The student is anonymized in the lawsuit and the alleged perpetrator, a nun and teacher, is referred to as “Jane Doe,” but it names the Roman Catholic Bishop of Kamloops and the Catholic Independent Schools of the Kamloops Diocese as defendants.

iNFOnews.ca reached out to both for a response to the lawsuit.

“The Diocese of Kamloops is deeply committed to ensuring that all claims of historic abuse are handled with the utmost fairness, respect and compassion,” a spokesperson for the Diocese said in an emailed response.

The civil claim was filed in Vancouver on Jan. 5, and it claims the school and the Diocese had entrusted the nun with responsibilities to look after students but failed to oversee or ensure the student was not abused.

According to the claim, the abuses took place between 1989 and 1991, while the student has continued to deal with numerous mental health challenges in the following decades. Their medical treatment and counselling associated with the alleged abuse is expected to continue into the future, according to the claim.

The Catholic Diocese and the school have not responded in court and none of the claims have been proven.