AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By Ewan Gilbert
Concern over the Catholic Marist Brothers’ indemnity against legal action by victims of child sexual abuse was the subject of an email sent by a lawyer for Brothers being questioned at an inquiry.
The email, produced on the last day of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse hearings in Canberra, was sent to the Catholic Marist Brothers in 2009, warning them about convicted paedophile Brother John Kostka Chute.
In it, lawyer Howard Harrison warned Marist Brothers provincial Jeffrey Crowe and director of professional standards Brother Alexis Turton that the Brothers could be at risk from Brother Kostka’s “honesty”.
“Just back from Canberra,” Mr Harrison wrote in the email after visiting Brother Kostka in jail.
“Regrettably quite upfront about various discussions with provincials over the years. I think we will have some problems with indemnity in due course.
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