Man raped by nun at 12 finally meets their daughter

William Edward Hayes was abused between the ages of 12 and 14. The nun left the church and went on to have a family as did Hayes. Photo / Getty Images.

A man raped by a nun in a Catholic children's home in the '50s has told how he has finally met the daughter they produced together.

She greeted him with the words: "Hello Dad, it's about time."

William Edward Hayes, known as Edward, revealed last month how he had been sexually abused by Sister Mary Conleth in the 1950s and she had fallen pregnant.

The disgraced nun, who has since died, later gave birth to a baby girl who was then put up for adoption.

Now Edward, 76, has been contacted by his 62-year-old daughter and the pair have had an emotional meeting.

Edward said: "I was so nervous. But when we saw each other we hugged straight away.

"She said, 'Hello Dad, it's about time.' We must have shared around 800 cuddles.

"It was fantastic, spot on, we even look alike. We have the same eyes and nose. There is no need for a DNA test, you could see we were related.

"She has my sense of humour and likes a joke, just like me."

He added:

I didn't think a child, who was born after rape, would ever know their true beginnings, so would never come forward.

He said he'd always thought "the circumstances were too unusual.

"The best I could hope for was to keep appealing for help from the Catholic Church, and I didn't hold out much hope for that.

"And then, I didn't in a million years think they would ever want to meet me. I just wanted to know the child was okay and what had happened."

And his daughter, who asked not to be named, said: "It was a day of pure joy for me and my family.

"After 20 years of looking for my father, William Hayes, I have found my father at 62 at last, and my children have a grandfather.

"We look so much alike — it's amazing."

Edward, who was abused between the ages of 12 and 14, couldn't believe it when he found out his daughter had been trying to find him too.

Now the former printer, his daughter and her four children — Edward's grandchildren — are looking forward to forging a future together where they are hoping to rectify the horror of their pasts.

William Edward Hayes, 76, has been contacted by his 62-year-old daughter and the pair have had an emotional meeting. Photo / Stock image, Getty Images

They met for the first time in London on April 26, when they cried and embraced, shared stories and vowed to keep in touch.

Edward said: "Now that we have found each other, my twilight years are going to be good ones."

His abuse by the nun came to light at the John Reynolds Home when it was discovered the nun was pregnant.

Edward was sent to his hometown of Carlisle while Sister Conleth went to Guildford, Surrey, to give birth, before returning to Lytham and then later back to Ireland.

There, the ex-nun got on with her life and had children of her own, two sons and two daughters.

The children who discovered their mother's secret

It was those children who discovered their mother's first child 10 years ago after their mother died in 2002.

Edward's daughter had already been in touch with her biological mother's family for the last decade.

When Edward's story made headlines, the nun's family recognised her name and told the woman it must be her father.

Edward said: "Of course it is a massive blow for her family. They are struggling to come to terms with being told their mother was a rapist.

"I don't think they believe it, that she was capable of that."

Edward's daughter has so far said she does not wish to be named.

Edward said: "She feels guilty that, while we are very happy, they are going through an awful lot. She feels a lot for her other family and doesn't want to rub it in."

We have decided to protect Edward's daughter's identity, though she agreed we were able to show photographs of their first meeting together.

Edward's daughter had been adopted when she was a baby to a woman in Guildford, Surrey, and was later raised at a boarding school run by Salesian nuns, an order of nuns originating in 1872.

For the past 20 years, the woman had been trying to find her father, once even going to see an Edward Hayes who lived in Lytham. But, of course, it was not him.

Edward said: "It is so lovely to find out my daughter had been trying to find me too.

"Since speaking out about this, it has been such a whirlwind. I have come from a dark place to seeing things completely differently.

"Knowing part of the family history has allowed me to come to terms with what happened in my past.

"I have forgiven Sister Mary Conleth. The more I think about it, the more I think she did what she did out of love for me.

"To find out she had come back to Lytham, I think possibly to find me, and also to discover she put my name [on] our daughter's birth certificate, suggests she loved me.

"I have also come to realise how much it has helped me to speak out. I have had nothing but compassion from people who I've met and seen what I have been through.

I was always scared to even face people, but I am no longer afraid.

However, Edward's mission is still not over.

He said: "The only downside in all of this now is the failure of the Catholic Church, who have refused to help me all along and know more about my story that I would like to find out.

"I will continue to fight to fill in the gaps of my history and for them to truly acknowledge what they have put me through."

After leaving the children's home, Edward was adopted by another family but was a troubled young man.

He joined the army and left after five years in 1969 after developing an ulcer as a consequence of alcohol abuse and was given a discharge.

He later married and had two children but is now divorced.