Victims Lash out As Former Christian Brother Jailed for Sex Attacks

news.com.au
March 27, 2015

http://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/victims-lash-out-as-former-christian-brother-jailed-for-sex-attacks/story-fnii5sms-1227281006065

Brother Edward Dowlan. Source: Supplied

A FORMER Christian Brother was told to “rot in hell” as he was removed from court today to start a fresh sentence for appallingly brazen sex attacks on students.

Ted Bales — who changed his name from Edward Dowlan to hide his true identity — was ordered to serve at least three years for assaulting more than 20 students, some of whom were as young as eight.

As he was led from court, one victim shouted: “Dog”, while another said: “Rot in hell.”

Several victims also stared at Bales throughout the sentencing as the 65-year-old sat slumped in the dock.

County Court judge Richard Smith described Bales’ offending as “brazen” and a gross breach of trust.

“You apparently believed you had some right or entitlement to abuse them as you did,” Judge Smith said.

Some of the assaults were carried out under the guise of discipline, and some victims were assaulted in the back of classrooms while other students were told to look away.

The offences occurred between 1971 and 1985 at schools run by Christian Brothers including Cathedral College in East Melbourne, Chanel College in Geelong, as well as schools in Warrnambool and Ballarat.

Outside court, one victim said he was disappointed in the sentence. He said some of his fellow students had committed suicide as a result of the abuse, while others had declined to come forward.

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 was sentenced to almost 10 years jail in 1996 for similar offending, and his latest victims said they could not understand today’s sentence.

“The discussion we’ve had is that there’s almost twice as many victims this time and his got a lesser sentence than the first time around. But it is what it is. That’s the justice system today,” said a victim who was abused at Cathedral College in East Melbourne.

“To sit there and listen to how he suffers from insomnia and depression and that kind of thing when he’s ruined the lives of god knows how many ... well, the mind boggles. How you can get a lesser sentence with more victims the second time round?”

Bales, who served a jail term for similar offending in the 1990s under the name Dowlan, 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 paedophiles Gerald Ridsdale and Robert Best.

They are considered among the worst paedophiles in Victorian history.

The Christian Brothers once paid $10,000 to a private investigator to spy on a victim of Bales.

Judge Smith said he doubted Bales’ clam that he could not remember the offending and sentenced him to six years jail, ordering him to serve at least three years.

Originally published as Victims angry at sex attacker’s latest sentence