A huge scandal More than 50 children were subjected to sexual assault on the Holy Island

A community of Catholic monks on a sacred island off the coast of Wales, United Kingdom, has been at the heart of a major child abuse scandal dating back more than 50 years.

Thousands of tourists visit Caldy Island off the coast of Pembrokeshire every year, unaware of its dark history of sexual abuse against children as young as three.

Visiting children, now adults, say they were raped in the historic monastery, sexually assaulted in the ornate gardens, and threatened with going to hell if they spoke a word to anyone about what was happening.

And this week, Jan Pickles, an independent safeguarding consultant and former Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales, was appointed to lead a “comprehensive review” into historical allegations of child abuse.

Speaking to MailOnline, the victim, Kevin O'Connell, 61, who was just 10 years old when he was raped, claimed to have witnessed the abuse of children, some of whom were as young as 3 years old.

He put out an appeal on social media urging others to come forward to help him in his lifelong fight for justice.

So far, 50 people, aged between 45 and 65, from all over the world have responded, saying: “This has happened to me.”

None of the monks were convicted, and a call for a public inquiry was ignored, apparently over the death of one of the monks, Father Thaddeus Kotek, who had sex with children.

The allegations were reported to Operation Hydrant, a nationwide police investigation into child abuse, following a sexual abuse scandal at the time, in which nothing happened.

In a letter from an island resident, it is claimed that a culture of “grooming” continues for women on the island and that criminals are “protected”.

Most of the 50 "survivors" who were "raped or sexually assaulted" in Kaldi have reported what happened to them, and have a crime reference number to prove it. But none of the assailants were ever imprisoned.

Six of the girl victims received compensation after a civil court case found that Father Thaddeus Kotick had sexually assaulted them between 1972 and 1987.