Ex-Christian Brother Admits to More Abuse

The Australian Teacher
December 3, 2013

http://www.ozteacher.com.au/news/vic/ex-christian-brother-admits-to-more-abuse/25534




BALLARAT, Vic, Dec 3 – The ripple effect of damage caused by a former Christian Brother who confessed to abusing a third schoolboy means he must be jailed, prosecutors and victims’ advocates say.

Stephen Francis Farrell, 62, pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting a 10-year-old boy while he was teaching at St Alipius School in Ballarat in the mid-1970s.

It is the third victim Farrell has admitted to assaulting, after a 1997 conviction on nine charges of indecently assaulting two brothers at St Alipius about the same period.

On that occasion Farrell avoided jail, with a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years.

But prosecutor Raeleene Maxwell called for Farrell to be jailed for the new offence.

“It’s the ripple effect of the offence, not only on the children, or child in this case, directly affected,” she told the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

“The impact on (the victim’s) wife … the moodiness, the anger, the certain outbursts.

“The impact upon the parents of these children.

“That guilt of sending their children to the Catholic school then their inability to protect their own children.”

The court heard Farrell ordered his victim to go to the sick bay and remove his pants after spilling paint on himself in an art class.

Farrell followed the boy into the room and fondled his genitals as his victim wept.

The boy’s mother approached Brother Paul Nangle, the headmaster of fellow Christian Brother school St Patrick’s College, the following day after the boy reported the abuse. Farrell left the Christian Brothers in late 1974, but the crime was not brought to the notice of police until 2012.

Farrell’s lawyer Sarah Leighfield said her client was remorseful and took full responsibility for his crime.

She said the assault took place in the context of the social isolation of a young Christian Brother who was rarely able to leave the school to see friends and family.

“You have a very young man going through this process, being deprived of what they would normally do as young men,” she said.

Leighfield read aloud an apology from Farrell to his victim, and said he had pleaded guilty despite having no memory of the crime.

She said any potential prison term should be suspended.

Peter Blenkiron of victims’ support group Ballarat District Group Survivors said Farrell must be jailed.

“That ripple effect is at every level of the community, from survivors to family members,” he said outside the court.

“If that’s going to heal then it’s got to start with accountability at this level.”

The court heard Farrell, now married with children, continued to teach in Catholic schools for several years and even served as principal at a Melbourne school after leaving the Christian Brothers.

Magistrate Michelle Hodgson will sentence Farrell on December 19.