Alleged Abuse Victim Denies Making up Evidence of Morning Teas with Priest

By Christopher Knaus
Canberra Times
March 26, 2015

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/alleged-abuse-victim-denies-making-up-evidence-of-morning-teas-with-priest-20150326-1m8eap.html

Father Edward Evans, who is on trial for allegedly sexually abusing a young girl in Canberra.

The alleged victim of a Catholic priest has denied making up evidence about the Sunday morning teas where she says she was molested.

Father Edward Evans, 85, is accused of repeatedly abusing the girl at his home in Braddon, near where he delivered German-language services, and while they were alone in a car outside Cooleman Court.

The complainant says Father Evans put his hands down her pants and touched her bottom three times, and digitally penetrated her twice during gatherings at his home after his 10am service on Sundays.

She said her family went to the home with Father Evans, who they called "Father Eddie", on a near-weekly basis.

But, during cross-examination on Thursday, Father Evans' barrister Steven Whybrow told the woman that Father Evans held a service at Page at 11.30am on three of the four Sundays of each month.

He asked whether she agreed that would leave a "very limited opportunity" for the accused to be present at morning teas as she described.

"I am suggesting to you three out of four times he wasn't there," Mr Whybrow said.

The woman denied she was making up the evidence, and said the morning teas were casual gatherings, rather than formal morning teas.

She said they might not have happened every week, but rather every fortnight.

The court also heard evidence of her complaints to the church and to police decades later.

Friends and family had urged her to come forward after she spoke of the alleged abuse, and she first called police anonymously to ask for advice.

She told the court she was in an "emotional rut" at the time and couldn't remember the details of what she had said.

The woman then spoke of her experiences to a church official, who typed up a statement in his own words based on the interview.

She later went to speak with detectives, who told her not to go to the archdiocese before speaking to them.

Earlier during her cross-examination, the woman spoke of trying to avoid Father Evans, including by walking out of church when he came near, and avoiding his house.

She said she remembered smashing plates out of anger at the situation when he was not around.

"It's a pain that's been with me for years, so I don't need him there to trigger my emotions," she said.

Mr Whybrow also suggested to the woman that Father Evans had never touched her without her first initiating the contact.

She responded:

"That is not true."

He asked her whether she knew about the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the possibility of compensation when she made her complaint.

She said she'd only heard basic details about the royal commission, but had not asked the church official or police about the possibility of compensation.

The trial continues on Friday in the ACT Supreme Court before Justice Richard Refshauge.