Abuse shatters dad’s faith

AUSTRALIA
Maroondah Weekly

BY MELISSA CUNNINGHAM

27 Mar, 2012

IAN Lawther still has faith in God – but he doesn’t attend the Catholic Church to prove it any more.

The Healesville father said he doesn’t “accept dogma from any church” since his son was abused by a convicted St Brigid’s parish priest more than 10 years ago.

Over the years, Mr Lawther and his family have faced heartbreak and turmoil in their fight for justice. The crippling trauma caused him to lose three-quarters of his sight after he went into a “fit of rage” reading over his son’s court documents, and burst the blood vessels in his eyes.

When the Weekly spoke to Mr Lawther last week, he welcomed the recommendations of the landmark Protecting Victoria’s Vulnerable Children Inquiry, which was tabled to Parliament at the end of last month.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.