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	Former Priest's Sex Shame By Nick Clark Mercury February 13, 2008 http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23206218-921,00.html A FORMER Marist College priest was found guilty in the Supreme Court in Launceston yesterday of sex offences -- two years after first being convicted. Roger Michael Bellemore, 72, of Lane Cove in Sydney, was found guilty of three counts of maintaining a sexual relationship with young boys in the early 1970s. He was a priest at Marist College in Burnie and committed a series of sexual assaults against boys aged between 11 and 13 years. Bellemore was the second Marist priest to be convicted after Gregory Laurence Ferguson had a further three years' jail added to an existing two-year sentence in December last year. The court heard yesterday that some of Bellemore's victims had given evidence 10 times on various charges. Bellemore was first convicted in 2006 and was jailed from February to December 2006. However, an appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal was upheld and Bellemore was released. In August last year, Justice Alan Blow dismissed a jury four days into the retrial when inadmissible evidence was given. Three victims made statements to the Supreme Court about their abuse at the hands of Bellemore. "No sooner had I started (at Marist College), so did the sexual abuse by priests," a victim said. "I was horrified and scared and I had no one to turn to. "I was easy prey for the priests. They knew what was going on in my background life -- a broken family and no home life to speak of. "I was taken advantage of, I was used by them. I was passed from one priest to the other." The man said he had suffered alcohol and drug problems for many years. "I was a wreck suffering from depression and anxiety -- I was wild, sad and very angry," he said. He first went to police in 2002. A second victim said he had been a scared and lonely boy when he went to Marist. "Bellemore seized on that and used me for his own sexual gratification," he said. The man said his mother had refused to believe him when he complained about Bellemore. He said he had questioned his manhood and sexuality as a result of the abuse. He had been afflicted with anger management problems throughout his life and had been married several times. "I get comfort from the fact that you will have to face God when your time comes," he said. "Will you be accepted into the Lord's arms? I think not." A third victim said that during a life as an elite athlete he had required frequent massage. "But I cannot stand to have a man touch me," the statement read by prosecutor Michael Stoddart said. He said he had a deep and abiding hatred of homosexuality and had almost committed suicide three times. Mr Stoddart said the crimes had been a severe breach of trust. Bellemore was remanded in custody for sentence tomorrow at 4pm. Share this article
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