BEGA (NSW, AUSTRALIA)
Bega District News
August 13, 2018
By Cameron Houston
An alleged victim of clerical abuse will plead guilty to breaking into more than 20 Catholic churches during a three-month burglary spree that terrorised priests and parishioners.
Motivated by a deep-seated hatred of the Catholic Church, Stephen Peters, 49, admitted to police that he wanted to create fear among the clergy, often cutting off power as priests slept.
A prosecutor told the County Court of Victoria that Mr Peters had vowed “to continue to offend until he received an apology from the church”.
Between February and April 2018, Mr Peters broke into Catholic churches from Swan Hill to Morwell and in more than a dozen Melbourne parishes, where he stole money donated to collection plates, wallets and more than three cars owned by priests.
Mr Peters found more than $14,000 in cash in a filing cabinet during an aggravated burglary at St John the Baptist Church in Clifton Hill on April 9.
Less than a week later, he broke into the presbytery of Our Lady of Victory in Camberwell, where he stole $1500 from a safe.
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