Gerald Ridsdale Pleads Guilty to 20 More Child-abuse Charges

By Jane Lee
The Age
April 13, 2017

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/gerald-ridsdale-pleads-guilty-to-20-more-childabuse-charges-20170413-gvkdjr.html

One of Australia's worst child-sex offender priests, Gerald Ridsdale, has pleaded guilty to a string of new abuse charges against 11 children.

Ridsdale pleaded guilty on Thursday to 20 historical abuse charges. This included 14 counts of indecent assault, two counts of buggery, two counts of rape, one count of attempted rape and one count of taking part in an act of sexual penetration of a child.

Convicted paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale has pleaded guilty to 20 more abuse charges. Photo: Damian White

Prosecutors withdrew 18 more charges against Ridsdale.The crimes occurred between 1962 and 1988 in various places around the state, including Ballarat, Edenhope, Merbein, Riverside, Mortlake, Quantong and Burnt Creek.

Former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns - who died last year - moved Ridsdale to various parishes around Victoria over about three decades where he continued to abuse children, despite persistent allegations of child sexual abuse against him.

Ridsdale appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link, represented by Victoria Legal Aid.

He said: "I plead guilty to all charges as presented, your Honour."

Ridsdale has been in prison since 1994 for more than 100 charges of sexual abuse against children over about 30 years and was previously expected to be released in 2022.

He previously told the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse he was himself sexually abused as a child, had first abused children when he was training to become a priest, and had always lived in fear of being found out.

Magistrate Belinda Wallington remanded him until his next appearance in the County Court on 15 August.