Catholic Priest Allegedly Drugged Then Raped 12-year-old Boy

By Mark Russell
The Age
November 16, 2012

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/catholic-priest-allegedly-drugged-then-raped-12yearold-boy-20121115-29evs.html

Former Catholic priest David Rapson. Photo: Justin McManus

A WITNESS has told a court how he was playing computer games in former Catholic priest David Rapson's office at Salesian College Rupertswood in Sunbury when he was given a glass of lemonade and passed out.

He claimed he woke up to find Rapson raping him.

He was 12 years old.

And as he ran from Rapson's office, the priest allegedly called out for him to come back ''in a voice like the devil''.

Advertisement

Rapson, 59, has been charged with one count of rape, five counts of indecent assault, four counts of indecently assaulting a child under 16, and one count of gross indecency from 1973 to 1990.

He had been a teacher and former vice-principal at Rupertswood.

In a statement tendered to the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday, a former Rupertswood student, now aged 36, told how he walked into Rapson's office in 1988 to play Pac-Man on his computer.

He felt like he was the golden child and special because Rapson had asked him to play on his computer.

Rapson was wearing a black robe and it was hard to see him. The priest asked him if he wanted a drink of lemonade. ''I said that I did and he gave me a cold glass of lemonade. I was very thirsty and drank it all straight down. After drinking the lemonade I felt a little bit dizzy and then I must have passed out or fallen asleep,'' he said.

The alleged victim said he woke to find Rapson raping him.

As he later ran from the office, Rapson ''yelled at me in a voice like the devil and said: 'Come back'.

''Once back at my dormitory I got back into my bed and laid there crying. At the time all I wanted was my mum.''

Another night about a month later he agreed to go to the office of a different priest, Father Michael Aulsebrook, whom he trusted to play on his computer and he was again raped.

He had been given a glass of Fanta before passing out and being attacked.

''It was like Father Rapson had told Father Michael what he had done to me and he thought he could just do the same,'' the witness said.

Aulsebrook was a boarding master at Rupertswood who was sentenced to a total of two years' jail with 15 months wholly suspended in 2011 after pleading guilty to assaulting a 12-year-old victim five times.

In other developments on Thursday, police confirmed they were continuing to investigate child sex abuse claims involving priests other than Rapson at Rupertswood.

Sexual Crimes Squad Detective Senior Constable Leigh Ross told the court this afternoon that police initially began to investigate one suspect who had been at the school between 1980-81 but the inquiry had since broadened to 1960-1990.

Police were using Rupertswood year books to contact past students about possible abuse at the school.

Magistrate Greg McNamara rejected Rapson's application to stop the child sex abuse claims against him being aired in public.

Rapson's defence lawyer Brad Newton had asked for any further details about the case to be suppressed, claiming the publicity was prejudicial to his chances of a fair trial but the magistrate said the case was a matter of public interest.

The committal hearing continues.