A woman who was abused in a convent as a little girl has written a book revealing the true horrors of her childhood.
Marie Hargreaves, 66, from Oldham, waived her right to anonymity to speak about the physical and emotional abuse she says she suffered at the hands of Sister Isobel O’Brien at Greenfield House Convent, St Helens in the late 1950s.
O’Brien was previously named as a suspect by police, who say other complaints were made against her, but she died before she could face justice.
The Roman Catholic Church confirmed they were aware of the complaint and have since apologised to Marie.
Marie, who says she was also sexually abused by other girls at the convent, hopes that by finally sharing her secret – over sixty years after the abuse began – she can reach out to others.
Marie Hargreaves, 66, from Oldham, seen, waived her right to anonymity to speak about physical and emotional abuse she says was ordered by evil Sister Isobel O’Brien at Greenfield House Convent, St Helens. She opened up about the abuse in a book, ‘The Convent’
Marie, pictured with her brother Fred on the day of her first holy communion, stayed at the Greenfield House Convent, St Helens between 1959 and 1962
She lived at the convent between 1959 and 1962, and says that the nuns refused to call her by her name.
And now, the mother-of-three has written a book, The Convent, which will be released this week.
Recalling her childhood, Marie said: ‘What happened to me when I was a child was evil, brutal.
‘By telling my story, I feel all the shame and blame has been taken away from me.’
Marie was one of ten children, living in poverty in Oldham, and her parents could not cope, so were sadly forced to give her and her brother up.
She says: ‘One day, a car came to collect me and my brother, Fred, and it was the first time I had ever been in a car, so I was really thrilled. I asked my dad where we were going and he said: ‘You’re going on your holidays.’
Marie’s book The Convent is published this week by Mirror Books
‘I believed him. I had never been on holiday in my life and I was actually excited to go – not realising I was going into care and I would not see my home again for years.’
When Marie, six, arrived at the convent, she and Fred, seven, were separated.
She says: ‘There were nuns everywhere and the atmosphere was very strict and I felt the first sense of unease.’
Marie was stripped for a bath and her long hair was clipped brutally short above her ears.
She says: ‘We were made to pray on our knees every day. We had to mop floors and shine shoes, even though I was only six. I was the youngest child in the convent.
‘My surname was ‘Kibblewhite’ and so they called me ‘Kibby’. I didn’t hear my own name for years and I actually started to believe that Kibby was my name. It was dehumanising.
‘The nuns would tell me I was an orphan and I had no family. I used to lie in bed and wonder whether I even had parents, whether it had all been a dream.
‘I had to be up at 6am and do all my chores before we were taken to school, which was near the convent. I loved being at school because it was an escape.’
Marie, pictured with her husband, Jack Hargreaves, who passed in 2010. She explained she told him about the physical and emotional abuse she suffered as a child, but could not tell him about the sexual abuse
She remembered: ‘One day, a little boy in the playground told me that he loved me and said: ‘I’ll always come to find you, even if you go to Africa.’
‘It was just one of those things kids say, but it made me cry, because it was the only show of affection I’d had for years.’
Remembering the physical beatings she endured, she continued: ‘Each time I spoke up for myself, at the convent, I was beaten. Even when I was crying, they would hit me until I stopped.
‘I heard stories of kids who had tried to run away, but the nuns would bring them back and tie them to the bed, so that scared me too.
‘One day, I was dragged from the dining table, into a small room, and Sister Isobel was shouting at the bigger girls to hit me with wooden coat hangers.
‘Once, I left some boiled egg inside the shell, and she ordered me to be beaten.
‘It was ritual abuse; she would find any little excuse she could to have me beaten.’
Marie also says she was sexually abused by the older girls at the convent.
The author explained she one of the eldest in a family of ten children, and her parents could not cope, placing her and her brother Fred in the convent when she was six
She says: ‘The sexual abuse started in bed, the 12- and 13-year olds would get into bed with me and tell me: “This is what happens with boys”.
‘I actually thought it was normal. I had no idea what was going on. I thought at the time that the older girls were monsters, now, looking back, I realise that they were victims, just as I was.’
In 1962, the convent closed down and Marie and Fred were sent home.
She says: ‘It was such a huge relief to get home, but I couldn’t just settle back in. I wasn’t used to being in a family and I had totally lost touch with my younger brothers and sisters.
‘Fred and I were the eldest children so I felt we had a responsibility to be strong.
‘I withdrew and I kept it all to myself. The abuse put a barrier between me and my family.
Marie, pictured as a toddler with her brother Peter (left) and Freddy, was the youngest child to stay in the convent and became the nuns’ favourite victim
‘I grew my hair long again and I vowed I would never have it cut again.’
Marie has since three children. Her first marriage failed, but she went on to marry her soulmate, Jack Hargreaves, and the couple were happy until his death in 2010.
Marie says: ‘I adored my children, above anything else I wanted to make sure they felt loved and safe; something I had never had as a child.
‘But I struggled with motherhood too; I didn’t know how to bond. I suffered with depression and it affected their lives, and mine. The more I tried to push the convent into the past, the more it seemed to overshadow us.
‘Jack was wonderful and supportive to me throughout my problems.
‘He would often say to me: ‘I’ll always be with you – even if you go to Africa. It was our little joke, from the boy at school who liked me.’
The mother-of-three had a happy marriage but said she struggled with depression and motherhood due to the abuse she suffered
Marie suffered with anxiety and flashbacks and eventually confided in Jack about the physical abuse at the convent. She was unable to tell him about the sexual abuse.
In 2015, Marie was contacted by police, who were investigating claims of abuse against Sister Isobel O’Brien, as part of Operation Cleopatra.
She says: ‘It was no surprise that other kids had suffered at her hands. I told them what I could – but I still couldn’t talk about the sexual abuse.
‘They told me she was going to be held to account, but the next contact I had was to say she had died before she could face the court. I was too late for justice.’
Only now, sixty years after the abuse began, Marie finally feels able to share the full details of the horror she suffered as a child in ‘The Convent.’
In a statement, the Archdiocese of Birmingham said it had publicly apologised to all victims of child sexual abuse involving the church during the ongoing Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
The abuse survivor, standing in front of the convent, which is now a school, said she hoped her story would reach other victims
A spokeswoman added: ‘The Archdiocese is committed to safeguarding and the door is open for all survivors to meet Archbishop Bernard Longley to talk about their experiences if they wish.
‘In relation to this particular case, the Archdiocese safeguarding team were informed of the allegation made by the individual.
‘The safeguarding co-ordinator in post at the time (2016) spoke at length with the individual and explored support which could be helpful to her. This included meeting with the Sisters of Charity of St Paul.’
A spokesman for AO Advocates, solicitors handling Marie’s case, said: ‘Stories like Marie’s are far too common. AO Advocates is working hard to bring these crimes to light and to prevent them from continuing.’
A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: ‘We can confirm that an investigation into this matter was concluded in January 2016 following the death of the suspect, and consequently no further action was taken.’
The Convent by Marie Hargreaves, with Ann and Joe Cusack, is published by Mirror Books on 14th May.
Marie, who is pictured outside of her childhood home, said the nun who she claims beat and tormented her as a child died before she could be brought to justice