Gerald Ridsdale, Paedophile Priest, Pleads Guilty to More Sexual Abuse Involving 11 Children in Western Victoria
By Emma Younger
Notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale has pleaded guilty to more historical sexual abuse offences committed against 10 boys and a girl during his time at parishes in western Victoria. The 82-year-old faced the Melbourne Magistrates' Court via video link from prison and admitted to 20 offences including rape, attempted rape, buggery and indecent assault. The victims were abused between 1961 and 1988 in various locations, including Merbein, Edenhope, Riverside, Mortlake, and Quantong. Ridsdale was first convicted and jailed for sexually abusing children in 1994. He was convicted and sentenced to a further jail term in 2006, which meant he would be eligible for parole in April 2019. Pending his sentencing on these new charges, his release date will be extended further. Ridsdale gave evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2015. The commission heard his offending first came to the attention of a bishop in 1961, but he was free to assault possibly hundreds of victims over the next three decades. Ridsdale admitted the church should have notified authorities about his offending, saying: "What I've done and the damage that I've done … I'd say, definitely". He'll face a two-day pre-sentencing hearing in the County Court in August.
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