Convicted ex-Christian Brother abuser Ted Dowlan faces 'significant' jail time

By Mark Russell
Age
February 9, 2015

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/convicted-exchristian-brother-abuser-ted-dowlan-faces-significant-jail-time-20150209-139nk5.html

Edward 'Ted' Dowlan leaving the City Watchhouse in 1994.

A former Christian Brother who was part of a notorious paedophile ring involving the clergy should be returned to jail for a "significant" period of time, a court has heard.

Ted Dowlan found himself in a Melbourne courtroom this month, nearly 20 years since his first appearance in a dock, after more of his victims came forward during the state's parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse last year.  

Dowlan, who changed his name by deed poll to Bales in 2011, has pleaded guilty to 33 counts of indecently assaulting boys under the age of 16 and one count of gross indecency between 1971 and 1986 involving 20 victims.

Crown prosecutor Brett Sonnet told the County Court on Monday that Dowlan's offending had involved him gratifying his own lust at the expense of his students' welfare and he deserved a "significant" jail sentence.

Dowlan, 65, was teaching at Ballarat's St Alpius primary school in 1971 with other convicted paedophile brothers including Robert Best, Stephen Farrell and Gerald Fitzgerald. Gerald Ridsdale, who is regarded as one of Australia's worst paedophile priests, was the school's chaplain.

Dowlan admitted abusing boys at St Alpius in 1971; St Thomas More College in Forest Hills (1972); St Patrick's College in Ballarat (1973-74); Warrnambool Christian Brothers College (1975-76); Chanel College, Geelong (1980); and Cathedral College, East Melbourne (1982-1988).

Mr Sonnet said the Christian Brothers were aware of what Dowlan was doing and failed to act to stop him, instead moving him from school to school, which only "aggravated the problem".

Dowlan was eventually sentenced in 1996 to six and a half years jail for abusing 11 boys between 1971 and 1982.

He was not thrown out of the Christian Brothers order until 2008.

Dowlan was arrested last year by the police Sano taskforce, set up to investigate claims arising from the parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse, after more victims came forward.

Defence lawyer David Hallowes told the pre-sentence hearing on Monday that Dowlan, who will be placed on the sex offenders register for life, was no longer a Christian Brother or teacher and the risk of his re-offending was "so remote in essence to be non-existent".

Mr Hallowes said Dowlan was on a disability support pension, suffered from a general anxiety disorder and had not committed any further crimes since 1986.

Judge Richard Smith will sentence Dowlan in March.

Dowlan's colleague, Ridsdale, who admitted abusing at least 53 children between 1961 to 1982, was jailed for an extra eight years in 2014 after more of his victims came forward.

Ridsdale, who has been in prison since 1994 and is in poor health, had been due for release on June 29, 2019 but will now not be released, unless granted parole, until 2022 and is expected to die in prison.

Ridsdale's victims were as young as four years old and many were altar boys.

Best was jailed for a minimum 11 years and three months in 2011 for molesting young boys during a 20-year period at three Victorian schools.

The offences related to 11 boys he taught at St Alpius Primary School, St Leo's College in Box Hill and St Joseph's College in Geelong between 1969 and 1988.