Premier Challenged to Launch Sex Abuse Investigation

Sydney Morning Herald
November 9, 2012

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/premier-challenged-to-launch-sex-abuse-investigation-20121109-291y0.html

"He has a lot of thanks to give that his boys were never ever abused" ... Peter Fox. Photo: Peter Stoop

A senior police investigator has publicly challenged NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell to launch a royal commission into child sex abuse by clergy, saying the Premier is lucky his own children haven't become victims too.

He also said he wasn't sure if he would face disciplinary action for his comments, but did not care if he did.

There is an archbishop, a bishop and a priest that are implicated in a potential cover-up.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox, who has investigated clergy abuse around Newcastle for decades, wrote an open letter to the Premier and then criticised the state government's continued failure to launch a judicial inquiry on national television.

"We're lucky. We haven't had to go through what some of those other families have gone through," he told ABC's Lateline on Thursday, noting that Mr O'Farrell is the father of two boys.

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"He has a lot of thanks to give that his boys were never ever abused ... if he has any compassion and humanity for some of these victims, he's got to turn around [his position]."

The comments came after the senior officer published an open letter stating that there are so many NSW sex abuse cases that he's lost count.

"I can testify from my own experience that the church covers up, silences victims, hinders police investigations, alerts offenders, destroys evidence and moves priests to protect the good name of the church," he wrote in his letter.

"Mr O'Farrell, please don't block your ears. Many priests don't want a royal commission, nor does the hierarchy of the church, but God knows we need one."

Detective Chief Inspector Fox said he has "irrefutable" evidence of a cover-up involving a number of diocese bishops.

"It potentially goes even higher than that," he said.

In 2010, a woman he said is a credible whistleblower and church insider came forward and gave him an "explosive" statement that is now with the Director of Public Prosecutions.

"There is an archbishop, a bishop and a priest that are implicated in a potential cover-up," he said.

But he said he was directed to give all of his material to a taskforce upon learning of the information.

A superior officer then stood him down from investigating child sex abuse cases further, he said.

He said he doesn't know why he was stood down, but noted that many in the NSW police force would consider him to be outspoken.

He's also not sure if he will face disciplinary action for publicly calling on the Premier to act.

"But I don't care," he said.

"What I do care about is that there are so many victims out there. There's something very wrong when you have so many paedophile priests operating in a such a small area for such an extended period of time with immunity."