BishopAccountability.org
	Sex Abuse Victims Want Inquiry By Mark Dunn Herald Sun January 16, 2008 http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23059195-2862,00.html VICTORIAN victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the clergy have demanded the State Government set up an independent justice commission into the crimes. At least 14 victims of notorious pedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale have formed a group to lobby for a Department of Justice investigation into how victims were paid widely varying compensation by the Catholic church. Some victims of clergy abuse received several thousand dollars, while others received tens of thousands or more than $100,000. "Robert", a Ballarat victim of Ridsdale, said the issue was not just about fair compensation but also dignity. "It's not all about money, there's a lot more to it than that," Robert said. "This should have been handled decades ago by the law, independent of the church." Robert said other states had established crime commissions into church abuse and Victoria must also act to give some closure for victims. Defrocked priest Ridsdale, 72, is considered to be one of Victoria's most prolific child sex offenders. He is serving a minimum 19 years for raping and molesting 40 children, aged 6-16, between 1961 and 1987. Ridsdale will be eligible for parole in 2013.
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