Ridsdale's Bid for Parole Thwarted

By Jared Lynch
Border Mail
June 13, 2013

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/1571230/ridsdales-bid-for-parole-thwarted/?cs=12

Serial child rapist Gerald Ridsdale has his bid for freedom delayed indefinitely after more people have come forward with allegations of abuse.

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The former Catholic priest, convicted of raping or molesting more than 30 children across three decades, is serving a maximum 13-year jail sentence, which expires in 2019. His earliest possible release date was June 29 this year.

But earlier this month police interviewed the 79-year-old at Ararat Prison in relation to fresh child abuse allegations dating back to the the 1960s and '70s.

The Adult Parole Board has considered Ridsdale's parole application, and a board spokesman said it decided it would defer any decision until the police finish its fresh investigation.

"The board has no obligation to consider an offender's eligibility if their is an investigation pending," the spokesman said.

Victoria Police spokeswoman Cath Allen said no charges have been laid but the investigation was ongoing.

She declined to reveal how many people had come forward with fresh child abuse allegations.

It has been reported that the paedophile's sister told her he had raped or molested hundreds of children.

Ridsdale was initially sentenced to 18 years’ jail in 1994, but he was handed a extra 13 years in 2006 after more victims came forward.

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During Ridsdale's initial court appearance in 1993 evidence of a Catholic Church cover-up of child abuse emerged. The trial revealed the church hierarchy had moved him from parish to parish, where he continued to reoffend, despite complaints having been received,

In his 2006 sentencing hearing in the County Court in Ballarat, Judge Bill White described Ridsdale’s conduct as appalling and said it "plummets to the depths of evil hypocrisy".

As many as 26 Victorians committed suicide after being abused by Ridsdale and Christian Brother Robert Best.

He was convicted of molesting 30 children between the early 1960s and 1987.

Victims have told Fairfax Media that Ridsdale should never be released because, even at the age of 79, they believe he is still a risk to the community.