Catholic Church Slammed by Vic Police

Big Pond News
October 19, 2012

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopStories/2012/10/19/Catholic_Church_slammed_by_Vic_police_807608.html

Victoria Police has attacked the Catholic Church for allegedly destroying evidence of sex abuse by clergy.

Victoria Police has attacked the Catholic Church for allegedly destroying evidence of sexual abuse by clergy and being more concerned with its reputation than the welfare of abuse victims.

Deputy police commissioner Graham Ashton has told Victoria's parliamentary inquiry into abuse by religious organisations that the church places its image first and victims second.

Mr Ashton said of the 620 cases of abuse the church says it has internally upheld since 1956, none have been reported to police.

In giving evidence to the inquiry, he accused the church of 'wrapping a special process' around a member of the clergy accused of sexual abuse.

'If a stranger were to enter the grounds of a church and rape a child, that would be reported to police,' he said on Friday.

'But if that stranger happened to be a member of the clergy, then that would not be reported.'

Mr Ashton said the overwhelming view of police who deal with these matters every day was that it was protecting 'the reputation of the church that creates that point of difference'.

'The process is designed to put the reputation of the church first and victims second,' he said.

He accused the church of being obstructive to police investigations and said the fact that offenders dealt with internally by the church are not recorded on the sex offenders register increases the risk to the community.

Mr Ashton told the opening day of the inquiry that while the church has said it has recently changed its protocols, it needs to go further.

'If the Catholic Church is serious about changing its practices and culture it should proactively encourage the reporting of cases rather than waiting for victims to come forward,' he said.

In its interim submission to the inquiry, Victoria Police accused the church of intimidation and secrecy in dealing with abuse victims and Mr Ashton on Friday detailed at least one case in which evidence was destroyed.

He said the church has alerted alleged offenders to police investigations, in one case copying a priest into an email sent by police to Catholic hierarchy.

In another matter, police analysis revealed an offender's computer showed a number of suspicious files were destroyed.

Such actions could amount to perverting the course of justice, he suggested.

Mr Ahston said confidentiality agreements made between victims and the church have hindered justice, while offenders were regularly transferred interstate or overseas.

Victims have reported an evasive and defensive approach by the church when dealing with abuse claims which, Mr Ashton said, makes them feel re-abused.

He said vulnerable boys aged 11 and 12 were the most likely victims and abuse took place in various locations, including classrooms and confessionals.

In one case, a boy was abused immediately following the funeral of a family member.

The inquiry, conducted by the family and community development committee, was set up by the Victorian government following several high-profile cases, including the 14-year jail term given to Brother Robert Best last year, and reports of up to 50 cases of abuse victims taking their own lives.