Fourth Melbourne Church Fire Not Linked to Brighton, Dandenong Fires, Police Believe
ABC News
A suspicious fire at a church in Doncaster East is not linked to three blazes at Melbourne Catholic churches historically connected to paedophile priests this week, police believe. Emergency services were called to St David's Anglican Church on Doncaster Road just after 2:30pm on Friday, after witnesses reported smoke coming from the building. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade said the fire started in a storage room and took 10 minutes to bring under control. Police are investigating the cause of the blaze, which was contained to a small area of the building, and keen to speak to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious in the area. The fire came after the heritage-listed St James Church in Brighton, where paedophile priest Ronald Dennis Pickering worked from 1978–1993, was almost destroyed on Monday morning. Another church where Pickering served, St Mary's in St Kilda East, was also set alight on the same night but the fire appeared to have extinguished itself with only the door damaged. A third church was targeted on Wednesday when fire crews were called to St Mary's Catholic Church in Dandenong at 2:30am (AEDT) by the parish's priest. It took 40 firefighters an hour to bring the blaze under control. The church was one of eight linked to paedophile priest Kevin O'Donnell, who sexually abused children throughout his 50-year career in Melbourne parishes. The Country Fire Authority's Paul Carrigg said it was clear to firefighters that someone had broken in and set several areas of the building alight. "When they arrived they found a number of areas of the church on fire, extensive smoke damage in some areas," he said. "They found a fire in a storeroom area which burnt through the floor and another fire towards the altar. "It was evident to them that there was entry made near the front door."
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.