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	Pedophile 'Should Be in Court' By Colin James The Advertiser November 16, 2007 http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,22766403-5006301,00.html ANGLICAN priest John Mountford was a pedophile with a history of sexually abusing young boys, State Parliament has heard. Premier Mike Rann yesterday criticised the former St Peter's College chaplain for verbally attacking one of his alleged victims before he left Australia last month after child sex charges against him were dropped. "He is meant to be a man of prayer but instead he preys on young people," Mr Rann told the House of Assembly. "I would like to see this man cross-examined in a court of law." Mr Rann made his remarks before reading a letter he had received from a former St Peter's student who claimed he was sexually abused by Mr Mountford between 1991 and 1992. "Reverend Mountford is a pedophile who has a history of preying on young, naive and innocent boys such as me for his own personal pleasure and gratification," it said. "I know I was not the only one abused at St Peter's College and that there are others he groomed and took advantage of." The former student, now aged 29, told Mr Rann he asked Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Pallaras, QC, to withdraw charges against Mr Mountford because his family was under too much stress. His letter said he attempted suicide earlier this year, prompting his mother to tell him she would "much rather have me alive than see me take my own life because of what I was facing from Reverend Mountford's lawyers who have been relentless in trying to find incriminating information about me, including using private detectives". "We (as a family) decided that we didn't need a trial to know Reverend Mountford is guilty of abusing me and is a pedophile," the letter said. "Obviously, without the trial proceeding there will always be unanswered questions about Reverend Mountford and his tenure at St Peter's College. "For example, why the school condoned an openly practising homosexual living on its grounds with a 27-year-old Balinese man and why they didn't investigate why one of his students was in a psychiatric hospital when he was sacked for sexually abusing another boy and how former Archbishop Ian George and the school helped him leave the country so quickly, choosing not to report the incident to police until weeks later." The alleged victim yesterday told The Advertiser he had wanted to thank Mr Rann for his public support when Mr Mountford was extradited from Thailand in February, 2005, after an investigation by SA sex crime detectives.
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