Paedophile Priest's Parish Expanded Despite Abuse Accusations

By Dan Cox
ABC News
July 4, 2013

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-04/parish-of-paedophile-priest-expanded-despite-abuse-accusations/4800278


A NSW inquiry has heard a paedophile priest was allowed to continue running private reading classes at Hunter Valley Catholic schools despite being accused of child sexual abuse.

The special commission of inquiry at Newcastle Supreme Court is investigating whistleblower police officer Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox's claims the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Diocese covered up abuse by two priests, James Fletcher and Denis McAlinden.

Inspector Fox has told the commission that in 2003, the bishop of Maitland-Newcastle at the time, Michael Malone, "defied his suggestion" to have Fletcher stood down as a priest while the abuse investigation was underway.

Inspector Fox said he strongly suggested the priest have minimal contact with children by moving him to a diocesan office job.

The commission heard that six weeks after the request the former bishop doubled the size of Fletcher's Lochinvar parish.

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

Mr Malone's barrister told Inspector Fox "there's more than one answer" when you ask someone to give consideration.

Inspector Fox said he had no power to demand the priest's removal, and he was hoping the bishop would have put the community before a "resource shortage".

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

More than a dozen documents tendered to the inquiry show senior Catholic Church officials knew about abuse by both priests for decades but did not tell police.

Earlier today, the inquiry heard Inspector Fox had "no basis" for suggesting Mr Malone tried to hinder his investigation into Fletcher by telling the priest about the allegations.

But Mr Malone's barrister Simon Harben SC 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.

Inspector Fox said it gave Fletcher time to destroy evidence.