Call for Priest to Lose Oam

By Murray Nicholls
Western Advocate
March 8, 2012

http://www.westernadvocate.com.au/news/local/news/general/call-for-priest-to-lose-oam/2480884.aspx

FOUR men who claim they were sexually abused as teenagers by a Catholic priest have written to the Governor General seeking to have him stripped of an Order of Australia Medal.

Father Hugh Edward Murray was one of 11 men charged with child sex offences dating back to the 1960s as part of investigations by Strike Force Belle.

Many of the men were priests who previously worked at Bathurst’s St Stanislaus’ College, where many of the offences were alleged to have taken place.

Murray had faced five counts of sexual assault involving three boys between 1966 and 1978, but did not stand trial after he was found to be mentally unfit.

During a hearing in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court in 2010, Judge Greg Woods heard that Murray, then aged 81, had dementia and diabetes and had suffered more than 10 cardiac arrests.

Dr John Albert Roberts told the court Murray had a “cognitive impairment” and it would be inappropriate for him to stand trail.

Judge Woods agreed, reluctantly granting a stay on proceedings as a result of Murray’s health.

“Let me make plain my view that this is a regrettable and frustrating outcome,” Judge Murray said in delivering his finding.

“It is, nonetheless, an outcome which the evidence and the law requires.”

Now, four men who say they were abused by Murray are seeking to have him stripped of an OAM awarded in 1994 for his service to people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

Phillip Hopson, John Power, James Keane and John Frederiksen have signed a letter to Governor General Quentin Bryce saying their lives had been destroyed by the alleged abuse.

“We therefore ask that Murray be stripped of this award as he is an unworthy recipient,” the letter says.

“Australians hold recipients of this prestigious award in high regard.

“For a person who is a perpetrator of evil to hold this honourable award is abhorrent to the Australian psyche and trivialises the honour to those worthy to hold it.”

The Governor General’s office confirmed they had received the letter and took the issues raised very seriously, but would not comment further.

A spokesperson said “further correspondence will be entered into with the concerned parties”.