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Child Abuse Investigator Told "Life in Danger"

By Dan Box
The Australian
June 29, 2013

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/child-abuse-investigator-told-life-in-danger/story-e6frg6nf-1226671656769

A DETECTIVE working with a police strike force that has charged 11 priests with hundreds of child abuse offences was warned by a colleague that her life was in danger from the "Catholic mafia", an inquiry has heard.

A DETECTIVE was warned by a colleague that her life was in danger from the "Catholic mafia", an inquiry has heard.

Detective Sergeant Kristi Faber told the NSW special commission of inquiry into church child abuse that another detective, Peter Fox, made the claim during a telephone conversation last year.

Detective Chief Inspector Fox told Ms Faber that her investigation into historic abuse committed by local priests meant she "would not be liked" and her "life was in danger from the Catholic mafia", she said.

In his own sworn evidence to the inquiry, Mr Fox has previously denied the conversation took place, although he has repeatedly used the phrase to describe serving officers who allegedly attempted to discourage investigations into the clergy.

This allegation has been repeatedly denied by other police witnesses, including Ms Faber, who have said they did not hear the phrase before Mr Fox used it. The inquiry was established after Mr Fox publicly claimed he was "ordered to stand down" from a police investigation into the alleged cover-up by senior church officials of crimes committed by a pedophile priest, Denis McAlinden.

Mr Fox was, in fact, never part of this police strike force, the inquiry has heard, but instead briefly conducted his own private investigation into McAlinden, which he attempted to conceal from his bosses.

Also giving evidence yesterday, the former local area commander, Superintendent John Gralton, rejected Mr Fox's claims that police did not properly investigate alleged child abuse committed by Catholic priests.

Describing how he himself had been abused by a priest while a schoolboy, Mr Gralton said such accusations were "abhorrent", "offensive at the highest level" and "could not be further from the truth".

The inquiry will resume next week, when it will consider Mr Fox's other public claims that church officials attempted to interfere with police investigations into child abuse.

 

 

 

 

 




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