Vic Priest Charged over Sex Abuse Cases

The West Australian
April 22, 2013

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/national/16835711/vic-priest-charged-over-sex-abuse-cases/

A Catholic priest living in Rome has returned to Australia to be charged with sexually abusing Victorian children after months of negotiation between police and the church.

The 67-year-old man had been wanted for questioning over historical child sexual abuse allegations over the past 10 months.

But the priest and his lawyer walked into the Victoria Police crime department headquarters in Melbourne to face the allegations on Monday.

"The return of this man to Victoria is considered a breakthrough in co-operation between the Victoria Police and the Catholic Church," a police statement said.

He was charged with 10 offences, including buggery, indecent assault and common law assault.

The alleged offences occurred between 1976 and 1985 in Ferntree Gully, in Melbourne's outer east, and in Sunbury, about 40km northwest of the city.

He is the latest person to be charged after police set up a specialist taskforce in November last year to deal with allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy.

An increasing number of victims came forward due to the state's parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse by religious and other organisations, prompting the creation of the Sano taskforce.

The charged priest, of Ascot Vale, has now been bailed to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.