Catholic Priest Charged with Historical Child Sex Offences - Mid North Coast

New South Wales Police Force
March 23, 2017

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/news/latest_releases?sq_content_src=%2BdXJsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGZWJpenByZC5wb2xpY2UubnN3Lmdvdi5hdSUyRm1lZGlhJTJGNjE4MzIuaHRtbCZhbGw9MQ%3D%3D

A Catholic priest will appear in court after being charged with alleged sexual assaults upon a boy in the Mid North Coast area between 1979 and 1980.

In 2013, the Commonwealth Government established a Royal Commission into Institutional response to child sex abuse. The Commission commenced hearing evidence from witnesses and victims.

In March 2014, a 46-year-old man alleged he was sexually abused by two Catholic priests and another man. The boy was between the age of nine and 12 at the time the alleged abuse occurred.

Following inquiries, about 12pm today (Thursday 22 March 2017) detectives from Manning/Great Lakes Local Area Command arrested a 76-year-old Newcastle man, at Waratah Police Station.

The man is a current serving priest within the Maitland/Newcastle Catholic Diocese.

He was charged with three counts of indecent assault on a male.

He was granted conditional bail to appear at Forster Local Court on Wednesday 5 April 2017.