Nsw Inquiry into Church Abuse Set to Begin

NEWS.com.au
February 12, 2013

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/national/nsw-inquiry-into-church-abuse-set-to-begin/story-e6frfku9-1226576327994

A COMMISSION of inquiry into alleged Catholic Church cover-ups of child sex abuse in a NSW diocese will formally open in Sydney on Wednesday.

The special commission of inquiry was announced by NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell in November, following explosive allegations made to the media by Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox.

The senior investigator asserted the church had covered up evidence in relation to pedophile priests and hindered - and in some cases silenced - police investigations in relation to child abuse in the Catholic diocese of Maitland-Newcastle in the Hunter region of NSW.

Inspector Fox also said he was asked to stop investigating certain matters relating to sex abuse in the diocese, and in January the terms of the special inquiry were amended to examine the circumstances of this.

The claims made by the outspoken policeman were also the catalyst for the federal royal commission into institutional responses to child sex abuse, which will announce its schedule of hearings in the coming weeks.

The NSW inquiry, headed by Commissioner Margaret Cunneen SC, will take applications for leave to appear when it is formally opened in a Sydney court on Wednesday.

The commissioner will also make a statement outlining the process and explaining the terms of reference.

The January amendments to the terms included provision for the sharing of information with the federal royal commission.

This means victims or members of the public with information beyond the scope of the NSW special commission of inquiry can have that information provided directly to the royal commission.

As well as reporting on the circumstances in which Insp Fox was asked to cease investigating relevant matters, the commission will also report on the extent to which officials of the Catholic Church facilitated or co-operated with police investigations.

This includes whether any investigation was hindered by the failure to report alleged criminal offences, the discouraging of witnesses to come forward or the alerting of alleged offenders.

This gives the NSW commission scope to investigate how the church handled allegations against convicted pedophile priest Father James Fletcher, who died in jail in 2006.

The NSW commission is to report on or before September 30.