Former Jesuit priest jailed for child pornography given permission to appeal against sentence, by Loukas Founten, ABC News (May 18, 2015)

Former Jesuit priest jailed for child pornography given permission to appeal against sentence

A former Adelaide Jesuit priest and teacher jailed for child pornography offences has won permission to appeal against his sentence.

Stanislaus Hogan was found with more than 1,500 pornographic images in his private quarters at St Ignatius College in August 2013.

The 70-year-old had collected the books, videos and magazines showing boys aged between three and 16 over a number of years.

He argued he had used some of the material to help understand paedophiles as well as himself.

The Supreme Court was today told the sentencing judge did not give enough weight to Hogan's early guilty plea, his rehabilitation efforts and low risk of reoffending, when he jailed him for two-and-a-half years.

Lawyer Sophie David said Hogan had made significant progress on his rehabilitation since his arrest, which included seeing a clinical psychologist, but his progress had been "interrupted" by his incarceration.

"Mr Hogan started out as someone who was low risk of reoffending but during the time after his arrest he completed multiple sessions with a clinical psychologist and progressed considerably," she said.

"That needed to be given considerable weight by the sentencing judge and while it was referred to ... it was not, in my submission, given sufficient weight."

He had lost his life-long dedication, he had been laicised, he had been defrocked and there was an indelible stain on his reputation.

Sophie David, representing Stanislaus Hogan

Ms David said Hogan had spent nearly nine months awaiting sentencing due to a number of delays caused by the courts and prosecution, and had only been given a 25 per cent reduction in his sentence despite being entitled to more.

"He had lost his life-long dedication, he had been laicised, he had been defrocked and there was an indelible stain on his reputation," she said.

The prosecution argued Hogan's sentence was appropriate because of the need to deter others from similar offending.

The court was told Hogan was in a position of trust at the school and had used the school's resources for his crime but Justice Timothy Stanley said that had little to do with the offending.

He granted permission to appeal, saying similar cases showed it would be open to consider a suspended sentence in such a case.

Hogan is now considering seeking release on bail pending his appeal, which will be heard at a later date.