Priest at Centre of Paedophile Allegations Arrives Back in Australia

By Rory Callinan
Sydney Morning Herald
October 16, 2014

http://www.smh.com.au/national/priest-at-centre-of-paedophile-allegations-arrives-back-in-australia-20141016-117bbm.html

[with video]

A Catholic priest who was allowed to continue preaching in Papua New Guinea despite being named in child abuse compensation settlements has been deported to Australia and is likely to face being extradited from Queensland to Victoria.

Earlier this month, Fairfax Media revealed how Father Roger Mount was still being allowed to minister at a remote parish in PNG despite being named in the Catholic church documents as an alleged child abuser of boys in homes in Victoria and NSW.

Following more revelations that Mount had been living in the country illegally without a visa for the past three years, the PNG Government on Wednesday deported him to Cairns.

David McNamara and his alleged abuser, the then Brother Roger "Gabriel" Mount.

The 72-year-old Catholic priest had been alleged to have abused children when he was working as Brother Gabriel with the Catholic St John of God Order at a home for intellectually disabled boys at Kendall Grange in Morisset, about 65km north of Sydney, and at boys homes in Victoria run by the same order.

Legal documents obtained by Fairfax reveal at least two boys from the homes had successfully sought apologies and compensation payments after they reported the abuse to the St John of God Order in the 1990s and the 2000s.

Despite the admissions in the documents, the Catholic Church made no effort to restrict the activities of Mount, who moved to PNG in the 1980s where he rose to hold senior roles in the church including that of Chancellor of the Port Moresby diocese.

David McNamara was stunned Father Mount was preaching in PNG. Photo: Greg Mace

In late 2012 in Victoria, Fairfax Media located Steve Danas, an alleged victim of Mount who had received a settlement. We then tracked down and confronted Mount in Papua New Guinea about the abuse.

He denied all allegations or any impropriety towards children. The Catholic Church refused to lodge any investigation into the complaints or restrict his activities at his remote parish where often shared his home with boys who were employed as his assistants.

Earlier this month Fairfax Media located a second alleged victim, NSW resident David McNamara, who spoke out complaining that the church was failing to act in relation to Mount's case. Officials in the Port Moresby DIocese admitted to Fairfax Media they had tried to sack Mount two years ago but he had refused to leave his remote parish at Sogeri, near the Kokoda track, and they also confirmed he was in the country illegally.

Last week Port Moresby diocesan official Father Ben Fleming said the church would act and remove Mount. Shortly before he was due to be moved to Port Moresby, Mount was alleged to have suffered a drug overdose and was admitted to hospital.

Following his discharge earlier this week, PNG Immigration officials deported the elderly priest to Cairns, SBS news reported on Thursday.

Victorian Police detectives from a taskforce Sano, a special squad set up to investigate historical child abuse cases, on Thursday travelled to Cairns where they are expected to seek the extradition of Mount.

A Victorian Police spokeswoman declined to make any comment about Mount.

She said Task Force Sano detectives were in Cairns where they are expected to "seek the extradition of 72-year-old man on Friday following an investigation into a number of historical sexual assaults in Victoria".

Late on Thursday Mr McNamara said: "I'm quite emotional. After all this he's finally back." Mr Danas declined to comment.

Legal documents reveal alleged victims of Mount received a total of more than $100,000 in settlements paid out by the St John of God Order.

Efforts to contact the Port Moresby Diocese were unsuccessful. Efforts to contact Mount were unsuccessful.