Paedophile Priest Spends First Day of Freedom Facing New Charges

By Shannon Deery
Herald Sun
December 10, 2014

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/paedophile-priest-spends-first-day-of-freedom-facing-new-charges/story-fni0fee2-1227150952160

A NOTORIOUS paedophile priest jailed for horrific crimes against children has spent his first day of freedom back in court on new charges.

The former priest, who cannot be named, was released from prison yesterday after serving a seven-year stint.

It was his second time behind bars for sex crimes on kids.

The man was bailed and ordered to appear at the County Court after being committed to stand trial on 15 fresh charges.

The County Court heard a new trial would take three months to complete, and would not be able to start before 2016.

It comes after 11 new complainants came forward to police while the man, in his 60s, was completing his sentence.

The man was interviewed behind bars and was later charged with more than a dozen indecent assaults dating back to the 1970s and 1980s.

He was jailed in 2007 after being found guilty of 11 charges, including rape and indecently assaulting a child under 16.

The man had been a priest for just a year when he began to molest innocent children in his care.

He took one teen to a seminary, in Melbourne’s east, where he raped and abused him on several occasions.

Assaults on two other boys occurred at an eastern suburbs parish while he was an assistant parish priest.

Another young boy was also molested by the man after the priest officiated at the boy’s sister’s wedding.

The popular priest was routinely moved between parishes throughout his career and was a much loved figure wherever he went.

Before originally being interviewed by police the man was a one time nominee for a citizen of the year award.

He has been bailed to reappear at the County Court on November, 2015.

As part of strict bail conditions the man has been banned from living within 400m of a school.