Ex-priest’s Sex Pleas in Armidale Court

By Victoria Nugent
Armidale Express
August 8, 2014

http://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/story/2473872/ex-priests-sex-pleas-in-armidale-court/?cs=12

The former priest was committed to Armidale District Court in September for 76 historic child sex offences yesterday.

He pleaded guilty to 45 charges, and not guilty to 31 charges at Armidale Local Court. Fifty charges were dismissed.

However, three charges relating to one victim, now a truck driver, must face a committal hearing to see if there is enough evidence to proceed.

Magistrate Karen Stafford made the decision after the defence made applications for eight witnesses to give evidence at committal.

The driver will take the witness stand on October 22 along with his mother and his partner. He had been driving in 2012 when he heard 2GB broadcaster Ray Hadley mention the allegations against the former priest on the radio.

He then rang the radio station and told them he had also been sexually abused by the accused.

According to his partner, he later told her “I could have thrown up”.

Defence counsel Hament Dhanji said the man’s partner had referred to it as a “recovered memory” and if memory loss were a factor, experts would have to be called during the trial.

THE court also heard the man was aware his brother had alleged he was raped as a child by the priest.

Magistrate Stafford decided that the trio needed to be called as witnesses for cross-examination to clarify issues relating to the “recovered memory” and how much he knew about the allegation by his brother, who is not involved in the court case. After committal, the ex-priest will be tried for some of the offences, after which he will be sentenced for the ones to which he has pleaded guilty.

It also emerged in court yesterday that a then 11-year-old school boy, claimed he was sexually assaulted at Moree swimming pool by the ex-priest in the 1980s. The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to those charges.

The defence had argued that man also needed to be called as a witness because he had made his allegation some 30 years after the alleged assault.

But Magistrate Stafford said she understood his explanation for the delay.

“This is an 11-year-old boy who felt he couldn’t tell anyone."