AUSTRALIA
Sydney Morning Herald
April 1, 2015
Henry Belot
Canberra Times Reporter
A young girl allegedly molested by a former Catholic priest stayed quiet about her ordeal because she did not want to ruin her mother’s faith, a court has heard.
Crown prosecutor Sara Gul, in her closing statement, said the girl was afraid of coming forward with allegations about a man her mother saw as “the representative of God”.
But defence barrister Steven Whybrow told the court the woman’s evidence was unreliable and inconsistent.
The submissions were heard as the ACT Supreme Court trial of Father Edward Evans, 85, entered its sixth day on Wednesday before Justice Richard Refshauge.
Father Evans has pleaded not guilty to charges of committing acts of indecency and sexual assault on the girl, who was aged between 10 and 13 at the time.
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