AUSTRALIA
lewisblayse.net
Lewis Blayse
Australia’s Catholic Cardinal, George Pell (pictured above, entering court with former housemate Fr. Gerald Ridsdale) has been spared a problem.
Ridsdale, Australia’s worst paedophile priest, was eligible for parole this month. However, his application for parole was rejected by the Victorian Adult Parole Board after more people spoke out on allegations of abuse, causing a new investigation. Despite considering Ridsdale’s bid for freedom, the Adult Parole Board ruled to defer any decision until receiving the outcome of Victoria Police’s probe.
The Victorian Adult Parole Board, newly headed by Elizabeth Curtain, has been under fire over recent parole decisions, notably a case where a serial, violent sex offender was released, then assaulted and murdered ABC radio staffer, Jill Meagher, from Ireland.
Ridsdale was being urged to reveal how the church helped cover up his illegal activities. His victims say he should give evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. “If he started to talk about what he knew, the Catholic Church house of cards would come tumbling down,” one of Ridsdale’s victims said.
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