Priest Boasted of Beating Police Charges

By Jason Gordon
Newcastle Herald
July 2, 2013

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1609879/priest-boasted-of-beating-police-charges/?cs=391

A SENIOR police officer has told an inquiry that paedophile priest Denis McAlinden boasted of beating child sex abuse charges a decade before he was confronted with new ones.

Detective Inspector Mark Watters was the first witness called before the Special Commission of Inquiry's second stage of hearings in Newcastle yesterday.

Inspector Watters told of his efforts to find the wanted priest and have him extradited back to the Hunter to face charges of sexually abusing children as young as four.

He told the inquiry that in 2005 he located McAlinden in Western Australia through information that had come to him via an employee of the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic diocese.

He was told by Western Australia police that McAlinden had advanced cancer and only had a short time to live.

Inspector Watters told the inquiry McAlinden was interviewed by WA detective Andrew Grono and informed of the possible charges he was facing in NSW. The dying priest allegedly told Detective Grono "I beat a charge in Western Australia and I'll beat this one too".

McAlinden was referring to charges laid against him in 1992. They related to offences alleged to have occurred in 1982, but he was acquitted.

Inspector Watters said when he informed a Hunter victim, known as AE, of McAlinden's cancer, she said she hoped he "would be dealt with by a higher authority".

The news also prompted the victim to reconsider her formal complaint to police, Inspector Watters told the inquiry, effectively suspending his investigations.

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Inspector Watters also told the inquiry that his investigation was mildly hampered by a police intelligence system which failed.

Working on information that McAlinden may have been in England or Ireland, Watters set up an airport alert system which would have required airport staff to detain McAlinden and notify police if he arrived in or left the country.

But Inspector Watters said he later discovered the alert was not properly set up and therefore could not have detected any of McAlinden's movements.

The hearing continues today with Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox expected to take the stand for two days.