Ex-priest Gerald Ridsdale Faces 36 Abuse Charges

By Greg Brown
The Australian
January 10, 2017

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Former Victorian Catholic priest Gerald Ridsdale has been charged with 36 historical counts of rape and assault that allegedly occurred in the state’s west between the 1960s and the 80s.

The 82-year-old former school chaplain and parish priest was charged by Victoria Police’s Sano Taskforce, which was established in 2012 to investigate child exploitation. He will appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on January 20.

“Sano Taskforce detectives have charged a man following an investigation into alleged historical sexual abuse at various locations in the western region of Victoria between the 1960s to the 1980s,” Victoria Police said last night. “The 82-year-old man has been charged with more than 36 charges, including rape, buggery and indecent assault and common law assault.”

The Sano Taskforce continues to investigate historical sexual abuse claims made against the nation’s most senior Catholic, George Pell.