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	Catholic Priest Robert Fuller Is Charged with Recent Incidents, Occurring in Mid-2009 Broken Rites August 14, 2009 http://brokenrites.alphalink.com.au/nletter/page208-fuller.html A 54-year-old Sydney Catholic priest appeared in court on 14 August 2009, after allegedly seeking a 13-year-old girl for sexual purposes. The alleged incidents occurred recently — in July-August 2009. The priest, Father Robert Macgregor Fuller, had approached the "girl" in an internet chat-room, unaware that "the girl" was actually an undercover detective, police alleged in court. The priest began a three-week long cyber seduction, police alleged. Father Fuller allegedly had sexual conversations with "the girl" via the internet and sent her lewd pictures of himself, where (it was alleged) his face is clearly seen. Father Robert Fuller is a priest of 30 years experience in the Sydney archdiocese. Since 2003 he has been the parish priest in charge of All Saints parish at Liverpool, in Sydney's south-west. In court, police alleged that Father Fuller sent chat-room messages between July and August 2009, and even tried to arrange a meeting to engage in sexual activity. During the alleged grooming, Fuller did not mention that he is a Catholic priest, or that he is old enough to be the girl's grandfather. Police alleged that eventually it was arranged that Father Fuller would meet the girl on August 2009 at a car park at a swimming pool in Parramatta in western Sydney. At the car park, instead of meeting the young girl, he was arrested at 12.30pm by officers from the Child Exploitation Internet Unit. Police then executed a search warrant at Father Fuller's presbytery (in George Street, Liverpool), where they seized laptop computers, documents, photographs and a mobile phone. Police then charged Father Fuller with grooming a person under the age of 16. He was refused bail overnight. Court appearance Father Fuller appeared in Parramatta Local Court next day, 14 August 2009. In a police document tendered in court, it was alleged that, between July 21 and August 13, Father Fuller had communicated with a person on an online messenger service, Yahoo7 Messenger, who he thought was a 13-year-old girl. In fact, the other person was an investigator from the Sex Crime Squad's Child Exploitation Internet Unit. Father Fuller used two names during the conversations -- "r r" and "rogers_2468", the document stated. There were a total of 25 conversations between the priest and the investigator, the court was told. "During the communications the accused was sexually explicit with the [investigator] with a view to grooming and procuring 'her' for sexual activity," the document stated. The accused masturbated in front a of a web camera and encouraged the presumed girl to masturbate, the document read. "The accused ... states he is concerned about getting into trouble because of her young age. "During five of the conversations the [accused] activated his web camera and his face was captured by investigators." Eventually a meeting was arranged with Father Fuller near Parramatta Park and he was arrested by police nearby. Police prosecutor Sergeant Kai Peninkilampi told the court: "This is a clear abuse of a position of authority within the church, particularly as the defendant is in a position of having unvetted access to (children)." Holiday apartment Father Fuller was represented in court by lawyer Greg Walsh, who previously has represented various other Catholic priests on sex-offence charges. Applying for bail, Mr Walsh said Father Fuller could live in a holiday apartment owned by the Catholic Church in Terrigal [a seaside resort, north of Sydney], while he went through the court proceedings. Another priest would live with him and no internet connection would be allowed at the flat, the lawyer said. In support of the bail applictaion, the defence called evidence from Father Terence Bell, who is a colleague and friend of Father Fuller. Fr Terry Bell offered to guarantee a $25,000 surety to secure Father Fuller's bail and to to ensure that Fuller attended his future court appearances. Opposing bail, Sergeant Penninkilampi said the charges of using a carriage service to procure persons under 16 and groom persons under 16 were extremely serious, carrying jail terms of up to 15 and 12 years respectively. He said that Father Fuller being on bail could pose a risk to the community. He also said it did not matter if Father Fuller lived away from children. "The defendant has shown an absolute preparedness to travel wherever and whenever to contact [the presumed girl] and I would submit it doesn't matter where he lives," the prosecutor said. In granting bail, Magistrate Peter Miszalski required Father Fuller to surrender his passport, not approach points of international departure, not to use the internet or approach children or places where children congregated and to be supervised at all times. The church was required to lodge $25,000 cash as part of the bail conditions. The case is scheduled for a further mention in court in October 2009. Meanwhile, Father Fuller will live in the holiday apartment at Terrigal. Broken Rites research Father Fuller was ordained in 1979 after studying at St Columba's College seminary at Springwood, west of Sydney, and then at St Patrick's College seminary, Manly, Sydney. In September 1980 he was appointed as an assistant priest at "Christ the King" Catholic parish in North Rocks (north of Parramatta). In the index of the 1988 Australian Catholic directory, his address was listed as "Our Lady of Mount Carmel" parish at Mount Pritchard (Sydney diocese). In the 1991 directory, he was listed at St Catherine Laboure parish in Gymea, in Sydney's south. In the 1994 directory, he was listed as the parish priest in charge of St Jerome's parish at Punchbowl, in Sydney's south-west. He was appointed parish priest for Liverpool in 2003. Three schools, including a primary school and separate boys' and girls' colleges, are next to the Liverpool presbytery. A parish priest is normally the religious leader for such schools. Fr Robert Fuller and Fr Terry Bell are listed as New South Wales contacts for the Schoenstatt Movement, a Catholic lay organisation, described as a movement of renewal within the Catholic Church. Father Bell, who gave evidence in court in support of Fr Fuller's bail application is the Episcopal Vicar for parishes in the Sydney archdiocese's western region.
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