Esperance People Bond to Sue, Claiming They Were Molested by Priest
By Caitlyn Rintoul
Porters Lawyers principle Jason Parkinson said Father Glover was never convicted, but betrayed the Esperance community. "They were harbouring a viper to their breast," Mr Parkinson said. "He was loved by all and that's what upset so many people. He hoodwinked the Esperance population. "These paedophiles always cultivate the halo effect. In the dark, they're committing the most serious crimes." He labelled Esperance as ground zero in Western Australia for abuse cases. It's alleged the sex crimes occurred at Esperance Star of the Sea Church, in West Beach, and also at Esperance Hospital in the 1960s and 70s. The law firm has called on churchgoers, employees or clergy of the Diocese of Bunbury, Esperance Star of the Sea, Margaret River Parish and Esperance Hospital to provide information. Mr Parkinson, who has worked on more than 1500 cases of child sex abuse, said Father Glover had transferred multiple times within the church system. This was often a key trait in sexual assault cases. "The common operation we see is, once those in authority are aware that the priest is a risk to children, that's when they are transferred the furthest distance," he said. "In this case, it's of great interest to us that Father Glover was moved from Esperance to the Solomon Islands." He said people had only started to come forward because abuse victims could only process what happened to them as children once they reached middle-age. "What basically happens is children do not have the mental capacity to tell when they've been sexually assaulted because, quite frankly, they don't understand what is happening to them. "They're just simply devastated. The psych injury they receive only allows them to deal with sexual abuse when they're in their mid-fifties or older." He said since placing advertisements in newspapers, like The Esperance Express, the firm had received numerous calls with information. "Now that three people have come forward, and indeed since we've put the advertisements in, a larger number of people have come forward all complaining of being sexually assaulted by Father Glover," he said. "We will be issuing writs in the [WA] Supreme Court, and we'll be trying to get people what their damages are worth according to the law." He said the statute of limitations may prevent victims from receiving the justice they deserved. "At the moment, the statute of limitations means that these people, regardless of being sexually assaulted … may not be allowed to proceed with their case. "They had to take action within six years of turning 18 years of age. Now the problem with that is that these people suffered from serious psych injuries at that time." He said it was unfair to expect someone under great stress to be able to take action within that time frame. Former Eyre MP Graham Jacobs introduced a private members bill to scrap the time limit for child sex abuse victims to sue their attackers, but failed to win the support of state parliament last year. The Liberal Party made the legislation an election promise at the March 11 polls. The Labor government has committed to introducing the bill. If passed, it would make WA one of only three jurisdictions – alongside New South Wales and Victoria – to remove the statute of limitations in child sex abuse cases. Victims would be able to launch a civil action regardless of where and when the abuse occurred. Mr Parkinson said it would be unfair if the church used the current statute of limitations against victims. Catholic Diocese of Bunbury Bishop Gerard Holohan was unavailable for comment on Monday. A spokeswoman for Mr Holohan said he wasn't Bishop when Father Glover was alive and they had never met. She would not comment further.
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