Inquiry Hears Paedophile Priest Given Access to Children

By Dan Cox
ABC News
July 4, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-04/inquiry-hears-paedophile-priest-given-access-to-children/4800280?section=nsw

An inquiry has heard a paedophile priest was allowed to continue running private reading classes at Catholic schools in the New South Wales Hunter Valley despite being accused of child sexual abuse.

The inquiry is investigating senior policeman Peter Fox's claims the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese covered-up abuse by two priests, James Fletcher and Denis McAlinden.

Documents tendered this week show senior church officials knew about the abuse by both men but did not tell police.

Detective Chief Inspector Fox said all of the documents would have helped with his investigations.

He told the commission that the former Bishop Michael Malone "defied his suggestion" to have Fletcher stood down as a priest while the abuse investigation was underway.

He said he "strongly suggested" the priest have "minimal contact with children" by moving him to an office job in the Diocese.

The commission heard six weeks later Bishop Malone doubled the size of Fletcher's Lochinvar parish.

Peter Fox said that gave the paedophile priest "access to two more schools", and potentially hundreds of children.

He said he was not concerned Fletcher was still running the parish, but "was concerned he was running private reading classes" with school students.

Peter Fox told the public hearings he hoped Bishop Malone would have put the "safety of children above a resource shortage".

But Bishop Malone's barrister Simon Harben SC told Peter Fox there is "more than one answer when you ask someone to give consideration".

The senior policeman replied he had "no power to demand" the priest's removal and he was hoping the bishop would have put the community first.

The inquiry has previously heard Peter Fox says the former Bishop Michael Malone intentionally hindered his investigation into Fletcher by telling Fletcher about the allegations against him.

But Mr Harben today told Peter Fox he had "no basis" for that view.

Mr Harben told the commission the former Bishop was legitimately concerned about Fletcher's "stress and poor health" and how he would handle finding out about the allegations.

But Peter Fox said it gave Fletcher time to "destroy evidence" and it "robbed" investigators of the element of surprise.