Disgraced Monk Is Film Star's Brother

A monk whose younger brother is Harry Potter star actor John Hurt, received a police caution after a Child abuse investigation, it has been revealed.

Brother Anselm, 79, who was previously known as Michael Hurt, came under scrutiny when police looked into allegations of abuse at Downside school.

The monk, who now lives under a ‘restricted regime’ at Glenstal Abbey in the Republic of Ireland, had previously been part of the brotherhood at Downside.

The allegation against him is said to have been of a ‘minor nature’ and to have taken place in the 1960s, when the monk was a teacher at the famous Catholic boarding school.

Recently another former Downside teacher, Fr Richard White, was jailed for five years offences committed in the late 1980s.

Police enquiries into allegations of abuse at the prestigious school are still ongoing.

Brother Anselm whose film-star brother has appeared in numerous big screen classics including The Elephant Man, and more recently the Harry Potter series, left Downside and the Benedictine order in 1970 after coming into conflict with the Abbot.

He eventually moved to Ireland and in 1996 rejoined the order as a novice monk. Glenstal Abbey, which also operates a boarding school, moved to ensure that Brother Anselm had no contact with children, even barring him from the school chess club.

The upheaval at Downside after the investigations leading to Fr White's conviction, have led to the abbot of Downside, writing to former pupils to apologise for the actions of the predatory priest.

The ongoing revelations have come as a major blow to the Catholic church, which is trying to restore its tattered reputation in the light of numerous recent allegations and convictions.