An ex-priest (Father John Farrell) is named in court on 27 charges regarding five children in northern New South Wales

Broken Rites
June 29, 2015

http://brokenrites.org.au/drupal/node/365

A former Catholic priest, John Joseph Farrell, 62, appeared in court on 25 June 2015, charged with 27 sexual offences allegedly committed against five boys between 1981 and 1984 in northern New South Wales. Some offences allegedly occurred while Father Farrell was based at the Moree parish (within the territory of the Armidale Catholic diocese); and some offences allegedly occurred when Farrell visited a parish at Tweed Heads on the NSW north coast. The magistrate rejected Farrell's request to have his name suppressed. Farrell was remanded in custody. The case is listed for its next mention in Sydney's Central Local Court on June 30.

John Joseph Farrell was charged by a specialist team of detectives (named Strike Force Glenroe), which was established in 2012 by the Sex Crime Squad at the NSW Police Headquarters, Parramatta, Sydney. This strike force is continuing its investigations while the Farrell matters are awaiting the future court hearings.

Farrell has been living for the past three years at Harden [near Cootamundra and Young] in southern NSW, the June 25 hearing was told. Therefore, the June 25 court procedure was held in southern NSW (at the Wagga Local Court). This was a preliminary hearing to enable these 27 charges to be officially filed for the first time. Now the case, rergarding these 27 charges, has moved to Sydney's Central Local Court.

The June 25 hearing was reported in the Armidale Express as follows:

Ex-priest named
The Armidale Express
By KEN GRIMSON

  FORMER Catholic priest John Joseph Farrell has been charged with more than 25 historic sexual assault offences.

Farrell, 62, was charged with 18 counts of sexual assault and an act of indecency against a person aged under 16 and eight counts of sexual assault of a person under 16.

The charges, details of which were not available last night,  relate to alleged incidents in northern NSW about 30 years ago.

Farrell appeared in Wagga Local Court yesterday after being refused police bail.

Two specialist police officers sat in the public gallery for the matter.

Farrell did not apply for court bail and it was formally refused by magistrate Erin Kennedy.

The case was adjourned to Central Local Court in Sydney on June 30 for Farrell to make a bail application at that time.

Farrell, wearing a red chequered flannelette shirt over another shirt and large round glasses, bowed politely to Ms Kennedy as he entered the courtroom with two Corrective Services officers.

An application for a non-publication order preventing details of the case being made public was made on Farrell’s behalf by barrister Matthew Hutchings.

Mr Hutchings made the application on a number of grounds, including the risk to Farrell’s safety should his identity be made public.

He said the type of charges laid against Farrell generated vilification and outrage in the community.

He said Farrell had been living in Harden for three years. There are no allegations Farrell molested anybody while living in Harden. If granted bail, he could be at risk when he travelled to appear in court, Mr Hutchings argued.

The application was opposed by police prosecutor, Sergeant Kelly Huggett. Sergeant Huggett quoted legislation and a precedent in relation to justice being open to the public.

“In my submission, it is a matter of convenience for the accused to have a suppression in place,” Sergeant Huggett said.

Ms Kennedy went off the bench for a time to consider the application. When she returned, she summed up the arguments of both sides before refusing the non-publication order request. She said there was strong public interest in open justice.

Ms Kennedy said there was no evidence before the court to support the submission Farrell might be exposed to retaliation.

That is the end of the Armidale Express report on the case of John Joseph Farrell. A report in the Northern Daily Leader (at Tamworth) was similar. Tamworth is the largest town in the Armidale Catholic diocese and Armidale is the town where the bishop is based. The Armidale diocese is a vast one, extending northwards to the Queensland border and westwards to towns such as Moree.