BishopAccountability.org

Former Ballarat priest Robert Claffey admits to 19 charges of sexual abuse between 1970-1990

By Shannon Deery
Herald Sun
August 30, 2016

http://goo.gl/wt5rOS

Robert Claffey has pleaded guilty to a string of child sexual assault charges from his time as a priest in Ballarat.
Photo by Mike Dugdale

Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, who died in April, admitted to failing in his role.
Photo by Mike Dugdale

ANOTHER Victorian former priest from Australia’s most notorious child sexual abuse district has been exposed as a serial paedophile.

Robert Claffey, 73, today pleaded guilty to a string of child sexual assault charges from his time as a priest in the Catholic diocese of Ballarat.

Claffey was due to stand trial in the County Court this week on 21 charges, but pleaded guilty to 19 charges at the last minute instead.

Prosecutors withdrew two charges with Claffey pleading guilty to counts of buggery, indecent assault and sexual penetration of a child.

He admitted offending across three decades, between the 1970 and 1990s, in relation to young male and female students.

All of the offending happened under the watch of former Ballarat bishop Ronald Mulkearns.

Claffey abused children in Ballarat, Warrnambool, Apollo Bay and Portland.

A magistrates’ court hearing was previously told the father-of-one complainant told Bishop Mulkearns in 1989 his son had been having behavioural problems.

The father said Claffey had “misbehaved” with his son, a claim Claffey allegedly admitted to the bishop.

According to court documents Bishop Mulkearns called a meeting with Fr Claffey and the priest resigned, effective immediately.

At the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Bishop Mulkearns admitted mishandling cases of sexual abuse while bishop between 1971 and 1997.

In that time hundreds of children were molested by notorious paedophiles including Father Gerald Ridsdale and Brother Robert Best.

Bishop Mulkearns, who died in April, told the royal commission he had failed as a bishop.

“I’m terribly sorry that I didn’t do things differently,” he said.

“I didn’t really know what to do, or how to do it.’’

Bishop Mulkearns repeatedly apologised for his handling of the sexual abuse crisis but stopped short of admitting that he actively covered up abuse.

“I certainly regret that I didn’t do it differently with ... paedophilia,” he said.

“We had no idea, or I had no idea, of the effects of the indecent (assaults) that took place.

“I certainly wanted to protect the reputation of the church.”

Bishop Mulkearns said he tried his best to stop abuse but he admitted shuffling offending priests around parishes, despite knowing of their evil crimes.

In 1998 Claffey admitted indecently assaulting two boys after their sister died in a road accident.

He was placed on a good behaviour bond.

He will return to the County Court next month for a plea hearing.

He remains on bail.

Contact: shannon.deery@news.com.au




.


Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.