Priest, 87, to Stand Trial on Child Sex Charges

By Adam Cooper
The Age
June 26, 2013

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/priest-87-to-stand-trial-on-child-sex-charges-20130626-2ox44.html

A Catholic priest who has pleaded not guilty to charges of molesting a boy in a Melbourne parish house more than 40 years ago has been committed to stand trial.

The priest, 87, who cannot be named, appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, where magistrate Ann Collins told him there was sufficient evidence for the case to go to trial.

The priest, who struggled to stand up from his seat before he entered a plea, was bailed to appear at the County Court in June next year for a five-day trial.

He has been charged with two counts of buggery on a child under the age of 14 and two counts of indecent assault.

The allegations date between August 1970 and July 1972, when the alleged victim was either 12 or 13.

In documents tendered to court, the alleged victim, now 54, told police he was working at the priest's house for pocket money when he was sexually abused by the priest.

He recalled being "frozen with fear" and scared about what was happening.

Afterwards, he alleged, he was told to take a shower and then admit his sins.

The priest told police he had been asked by the boy's aunt to speak with him as part of a sex education chat, which he said he did. He denied molesting the boy.

The alleged victim told police he never told anyone about what happened, but afterwards began drinking alcohol and stealing property.

The court heard on Wednesday that the alleged victim first spoke of the allegations when he and his wife were watching a documentary about Catholic priests.

The man's wife told the court her husband had become angry while watching the documentary and said: "That's f---ing bulls--t they get away with that crap, they should be shot."

She said her husband then told her that the priest had molested him.

The man's sister told the court she had asked him if he had been abused by the priest, after he had objected to the priest conducting the funeral of the siblings' aunt.

The sister said she contacted the priest and told him not to conduct the funeral or attend.

According to documents, the alleged victim became angry at himself after his aunt's funeral, in October 2010, for never reporting his allegations to police.

He reported the alleged incident in November 2010.

The man told police he kept thinking of the possibility the priest had assaulted other boys and wanted him held to account.