Disabled woman sues priest for sexual abuse

ABC - PM
August 10, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2014/s4063071.htm

MARK COLVIN: A disabled woman has begun a legal case against her former parish priest, who she says sexually abused her over a 14 year period.

Jennifer Herrick is suing Father Tom Knowles and three senior members of his Catholic Church order, the Blessed Sacrament Fathers.

Ms Herrick says Father Knowles repeatedly exploited her vulnerability as a disabled and sexually naive parishioner.

Two months ago, Jennifer Herrick spoke to PM about how the church was using the controversial Ellis defence to fight her claim.

Lorna Knowles has the story.

LORNA KNOWLES: Early this morning, Jennifer Herrick took the long train ride from her home on the New South Wales Central Coast to the Supreme Court in Sydney, to take on the man she says abused her for 14 years.

JENNIFER HERRICK: It felt surreal in some ways, when you had had a close knowledge of someone that was so betrayed as I've had, to then be in a courtroom discussing that same person, it's not a normal circumstance, and it's very difficult.

LORNA KNOWLES: She sat silently in court, as a church barrister described her claims as excessive.

JENNIFER HERRICK: I was really affronted by that term. It was insulting and I thought frivolous on his part to something that's extremely serious.

LORNA KNOWLES: Ms Herrick is seeking aggravated and punitive damages from Father Tom Knowles and three senior members of his order, the Blessed Sacrament Fathers.

Her lawyers argue Father Knowles breached his duty of care to Ms Herrick, by instigating and maintaining a secret sexual relationship with her.

She was 22 when he first initiated sex with her. She says the encounters were rushed, painful, and often in public places.

JENNIFER HERRICK: The basis of the claim is to try and help society understand that the issue here is not just about me personally, but it's about the position of women in the Catholic Church.

Sexual abuse, exploitation, use, assault - the whole range is just not recognised if you're over 18. There's still this magic number of 18, and that has to change.

So I'm trying to expose that, lead the way, hope that other women will come forward. We know there's hundreds out there.

LORNA KNOWLES: The legal argument today centred on a report done in 2011 by a social worker.

The head of the order, Father Graeme Duro, told the court he'd asked Dr Sharon McCallum to do a risk assessment on whether Father Knowles was likely to breach his vow of celibacy again.

The church is arguing the report, based on an interview with Father Knowles, should not be made public.

JENNIFER HERRICK: The fact that they're refusing to divulge what was written in this report, the fact that they're so determined to hide what they have learnt about him, that tells me that these sorts of perpetrators need to be cleared from the church and the only way the rest of us can do that is to know what has been revealed.

LORNA KNOWLES: Judge Joanne Harrison has reserved her decision on whether the church should release the report.

She's given Father Knowles two weeks to lodge his defence.

JENNIFER HERRICK: They've been dragged kicking and screaming to this point, they certainly haven't come willingly, and I'm not going away, they need to realise that.

And they need to understand that I'm here for the long haul, as I said, for all the women out there.

This is not just about me as a person, it's about 51 per cent of the Catholic Church who are not recognised adequately, and have been used and exploited in ways that, I can't say it better than it just has to change.

MARK COLVIN: Jennifer Herrick ending that report by Lorna Knowles.