Central Western Daily
May 10, 2011
http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/news/local/news/general/headmaster-found-not-guilty-of-sex-charges/2157377.aspx
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| FREE MAN: Peter Dwyer at an earlier court appearance in Bathurst. A jury yesterday acquitted Mr Dwyer of child sex charges. |
FORMER St Stanislaus' College headmaster Peter Dwyer has thanked his family, friends and God after being found not guilty of child sex charges dating back more than 20 years.
Mr Dwyer, 68, was yesterday acquitted by a NSW District Court jury of all charges against him relating to alleged assaults against four students the college between 1977 and 1992.
The Order of Australia recipient had pleaded not guilty to 10 offences, including indecent assault and having sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16.
After hearing the jury find him not guilty of all charges yesterday, Mr Dwyer sent an email to his friends and family thanking them for their support.
"My thanks to you all for your longstanding encouragement, support in so many ways and most especially for what I can only say has been the incredible prayer support," he said in the email.
"My health of mind, body and spirit can only be attributed to the power of God sought through your prayers.
"I am eternally grateful - please know that one of the attributes of God I try to emulate is to repay a hundredfold, and I repay you in the manner you have paid me."
Mr Dwyer, who was serving as a Catholic priest in Armidale at the time of his arrest in 2008, said it was now time to "try to move away from the recent past and repair the personal damage done by these accusations".
During his trial in the NSW District Court, Mr Dwyer called the allegations "absolutely repulsive" and said he was "shocked" to hear evidence against him.
The Crown had alleged the former Vincentian brother, who went on to become president of the college, used his position of authority to gain access to his victims.
The court heard some of the alleged attacks were against a boy who complained of being homesick and another who had been caught drinking alcohol and was sent to Mr Dwyer's room to be disciplined.
The jury in the case - which began on April 7 - began deliberating on Thursday, and yesterday it found Mr Dwyer not guilty on all counts.
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