BishopAccountability.org
	How a Prosecutor's Crime Destroys Victims' Trust By Hetty Johnston Ninemsn July 19, 2007 http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=279680 Australia — Beads of sweat nestle in his brow — a lifetime of wrinkles nurtured by anxiety, fear and guilt. Today he will tell the police what his priest did to him all those years ago. Today he will trust the legal system and finally expose his truth. He will tell a stranger, in meticulous detail, about his memories of being sexually assaulted as a child. He will endure this painful time warp to protect others. But he knows that his truth will now be a matter for others to judge. The legal system will take control and he now has no option but to trust it. There is nowhere else to go — no other option but silence and inaction. He hopes the Crown will prosecute as aggressively as the defence will defend. He hopes the truth will be diligently pursued and that justice will prevail. As his body shakes, he is told his decision to break the silence will culminate in a courtroom. This is the day he has been waiting for, and feared so much. But he wants to believe enough to trust the system one more time. He cannot represent himself and tell his story in full and in truth — there are rules. So he must put his life and his faith in a public prosecutor, provided by the Crown. He can only hope that this public prosecutor has the integrity and passion to fight for him, to protect all children from these heinous crimes. Finally the day arrives. He prepares to attend court. He opens the newspaper and reads that the Crown-appointed public prosecutor, the man who was appointed to defend his honor, has just been charged with possessing child pornography. Truth and justice were too much to hope for after all. Crushed and beaten, he knows he can trust no-one again. His faith in the legal system is destroyed. His views are mirrored by thousands of survivors in the community who've watched on with horror and disbelief at the Patrick Power saga. Thousands of survivors who will never tell their story to the authorities — thousands who had their fears of betrayal confirmed. The lesson is clear — you can live and hear the evil, but still never speak of it.
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