BishopAccountability.org
	Catholic Church Gives $25k for Priest Robert Fuller's Release Herald Sun August 14, 2009 http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25927691-661,00.html THE Catholic Church has provided bail to have a priest charged with grooming a child for sex released from custody. Robert Fuller, 54, a priest at All Saints church in Sydney's southwest, was yesterday charged with two counts of grooming a child under the age of 16 via internet chat sites. The priest, 54, allegedly sent officers a series of sexually explicit chat room messages. to detectives masquerading as a 13-year-old girl. Police posed as the girl on the internet to catch the Liverpool man, who they say sent the chat room messages between July and August, and even tried to arrange a meeting to engage in sexual activity. Police arrested the priest in a car park at Parramatta, in western Sydney, at 12.30pm yesterday, and later charged him with grooming a person under the age of 16. "This is a clear abuse of a position of authority within the church, particularly as the defendant is in a position of having unvetted access to (children)," police prosecutor Sergeant Kai Peninkilampi told Parramatta Local Court today. Father Fuller's solicitor Greg Walsh called evidence from Father Terry Bell in support of a bail application. Acting in the position of bishop for the Western Sydney diocese, Fr Bell said the church would provide up to $25,000 surety to ensure Fr Fuller attended court if granted bail. A church residence at Terrigal was also offered, where Fr Fuller could live under the supervision of a fellow priest. "There's no suggestion in the facts ... that any child who has, before this alleged behaviour, been put at risk or preyed upon by this man," Mr Walsh said in support of his client. Magistrate Peter Miszalski granted Fr Fuller bail, requiring that he report to police three times a week, surrender his passport, not use the internet, and not be in proximity to children or attend places such as schools, the movies and sports grounds. The church was required to lodge $25,000 cash as part of the bail conditions. Fr Fuller will next appear in the same court on October 8. During yesterday's operation, police also seized laptop computers, documents, photographs and a mobile phone from a presbytery on George St in Liverpool. Following the arrest, Sex Crimes Squad commander Detective Superintendent John Kerlatec urged parents to speak to their children about the dangers of the internet. "The internet can be a great tool for children, however social networking sites can be potentially dangerous for children if they are left unsupervised,'' he said in a statement. "Regular online operations are conducted by detectives at the Child Exploitation and Internet Unit in an effort to detect online sexual predators. "The role of parents however, is crucial with assisting in the prevention of child internet exploitation.''
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.