Convicted Brother Taken Back by Patrician Order

By Emma Alberici
ABC - Lateline
November 26, 2012

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2012/s3641455.htm

[with video]

Transcript

EMMA ALBERICI, PRESENTER: The Federal Government's recently announced royal commission is being asked to specifically examine institutional responses to allegations of child sexual abuse.

Tonight, Lateline looks at how one order of Catholic brothers has dealt with alleged child sex abuse cases.

Brother Thomas Grealy, who was jailed on molestation and buggery charges in 1997, has been welcomed back to the order. Not only has he been reinstated as a Patrician Brother, a recent newsletter produced by the order refers to him as a Patrician "treasure".

Lateline has learned that police soon expect to arrest another two men who had been at the Patrician Brothers school at Blacktown over sexual abuse allegations.

The Entrance, a popular beachside town an hour and a half north of Sydney, is one of several places across New South Wales that the Patrician Brothers' Catholic order call home.

It's where Thomas Grealy has been living, a convicted paedophile who spent four years in jail for the rape and indecent assault of two boys at the Patrician Brothers' Primary School at Granville in Western Sydney.

JASON PARKINSON, VICTIMS' LAWYER: It would appear that every boy in the class had been assaulted.

EMMA ALBERICI: How many in the class?

JASON PARKINSON: Um, around 28.

EMMA ALBERICI: Jason Parkinson represents five men who allege they too were abused by Brother Thomas Grealy in the '70s.

Brother Grealy was the school principal. During his 1997 trial the court heard that he would cover the statue of the Virgin Mary in his office with a coat to hide his shame before abusing the nine and 10-year-old boys in his care.

JASON PARKINSON: In the classroom he would move boys to different seats. He would then squeeze up beside them and would molest them for 10 to 15 minutes before moving on to the next child. That was happening every day.

EMMA ALBERICI: Nearly 40 years later, what's been the attitude of the Patrician Brothers today?

JASON PARKINSON: The attitude has been they've taken no responsibility at all. They wouldn't even admit that they ran the school. They allege that it was the Archdiocese of Sydney that was responsible. The Archdiocese of Sydney said it was the Patrician Brothers who were responsible.

We had to go to the Supreme Court on two occasions just to be able to find out who was going to take responsibility for at least owning or running the Patrician Brothers at Granville.

EMMA ALBERICI: Jason Parkinson says Brother Grealy's victims have been abused twice, first at the hands of the man who was supposed to protect them, and now 40 years later, they're being made to suffer again.

JASON PARKINSON: It was just terrible that Catholic orders and the Archdiocese and the Catholic Church itself can arrange their affairs in such a way that they can attempt to escape liability and responsibility. There's no other organisations in Australia that can do that. But that's what happens regularly.

These men have been terribly damaged after being as young boys repeatedly sexually molested. They're suffering serious psychiatric injuries. It's had such a detrimental effect on their life that there's been a number of suicide attempts and a number of, um, serious issues in relation to self-harm.

EMMA ALBERICI: To add insult to injury, in this newsletter dated September, 2012, not only is Brother Grealy standing alongside leaders of the Patricians in Australia, he's referred to in the caption as one of three "Patrician treasures".

JASON PARKINSON: Just couldn't believe that the order would refer to a child molester as a treasure. It just goes beyond belief that - firstly that they would even be inviting him to remain within their group. He should've been shunned, should have been sent away. Shouldn't be allowed in the order.

EMMA ALBERICI: Ern Fuller is a retired teacher who spent 18 years at the Patrician Brothers' Catholic school in Blacktown in Western Sydney. About a decade ago he walked into a computer room to find a student being sexually assaulted by a lay teacher.

ERN FULLER, FORMER PATRICIAN BROTHERS TEACHER: As far as I recall, they both had their trousers down round their knees and, and (name redacted) had his arms round the child and they were - and, like, the boy was up on the computer desk, like, facing each other, yeah, and it was - so I ...

EMMA ALBERICI: What was your reaction to that?

ERN FULLER: My reaction was, "Oh, my God," sort of thing.

EMMA ALBERICI: Did they see you?

ERN FULLER: Oh, yes, they - because, like, I walked in the room and bingo, there they were. And so I put the books down and - and went out. It was - I was going to say, I was - well, I was going to say, I was in a state of shock.

EMMA ALBERICI: He took his concerns to the headmaster of the school, a Patrician Brother. The Catholic Education Office, the Department of Community Services and the police all became involved. After a six-week investigation, Ern Fuller expected the teacher to be charged with sexual assault. He never was.

ERN FULLER: As far as I understand it, (name redacted) finished, was given six months' leave on full pay. And when the, um, DOCS or the police or whoever decided that charges would be dropped, that the matter was finished and ended and it had come to a nice, tidy conclusion.

EMMA ALBERICI: The man left the school shortly after this episode, but we found him still working and living in Western Sydney. He's now understood to be the subject of fresh police inquiries over new allegations of abuse.

'BOB', ALLEGED SEX ABUSE VICTIM: It was away on a school trip and I was asleep at the time and he started touching me and I sort of roll over to move away. But he kept trying to pull me back over again. And it just went on for so long, in the end I just gave up.

EMMA ALBERICI: So you gave in to him?

'BOB': Yes.

EMMA ALBERICI: Bob, not his real name, called police after the Patrician Brothers' College at Blacktown made headlines. He too claims he was abused by the man Ern Fuller caught assaulting a boy at the school. The teacher, he says, befriended him and his family.

And you were a young boy at the time. You knew this was wrong, presumably?

'BOB': Yes.

EMMA ALBERICI: How did you approach him the next morning? I mean, what were you - that must've been extremely awkward.

'BOB': It was, yes. I guess sort of just kept my distance and really then just started keeping an eye out for other people, make sure it didn't happen to them as well.

EMMA ALBERICI: Did you tell your friends?

'BOB': Ah, no. No-one.

EMMA ALBERICI: Were you feeling embarrassed, ashamed? What were you feeling?

'BOB': Fairly ashamed. It's not something that I want anyone to find out.

EMMA ALBERICI: In the past month, two other men have been charged with multiple sex offences during their time as teachers at the Patrician Brothers' College at Blacktown. It's understood more arrests are imminent.