Ex-christian Brother Pleads Guilty to 55 Historical Victorian Sex Offences

By Shannon Deery
Herald Sun
October 9, 2014

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/exchristian-brother-pleads-guilty-to-55-historical-victorian-sex-offences/story-fni0fee2-1227084950315

Edward “Ted” Bales was immediately locked up after pleading guilty at the Melbourne Magistrates Court. Picture: John Mcallister

A FORMER Christian Brother is behind bars after pleading guilty to sexual assaults spanning two decades on boys in his care.

Edward “Ted” Bales, of Thomastown, pleaded guilty to 55 charges of sexual assault at the Melbourne Magistrates Court today and was immediately taken into custody.

The offending related to horrific crimes against children in the 1970s and 1980s while stationed with the Christian Brothers at Ballarat and Warnambool.

Bales indecently assaulted males in Ballarat, Forest Hill and Warrnambool between 1970 and 1975 and in Lovely Banks, East Melbourne and Lower Templestowe between 1980 and 1984.

Bales, who changed his name from Edward Dowlan after serving a previous jail term for similar offending, was allegedly moved between parishes by his superiors after complaints were made about him.

In 1971 he was stationed at Ballarat’s St Alipius primary school alongside notorious pedophiles Gerald Ridsdale and Robert Best.

They are considered amongst the worst pedophiles in Victorian history.

Best, who is in his 70s, was jailed for a minimum of 11 years and three months in August 2011 for molesting young boys during a 20-year period at three Victorian schools.

The shocking history of abuse related to 11 boys he taught at St Alipius Primary School in Ballarat, St Leo’s College in Box Hill, and St Joseph’s College in Geelong between 1969 and 1988. Among them was a nine-year-old disabled boy who was raped by Best.

Ridsdale, who was already in prison, had eight years added to his term last year after pleading guilty to 30 new charges against 14 boys and girls between 1961 and 1980.

The Christian Brothers supported all three men paying more than $1 million defending Best and $10,000 to a private investigator to spy on a victim of Dowlan.

It also paid for legal advice for Dowlan and paid him $125,000 after he left the order.

Contact: Shannon.deery@news.com.au