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Pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale 'abused girl, 10, on the altar'
9 News
[with video] A father undressed his daughter and laid her on a church altar where pedophile priest Gerald Francis Ridsdale indecently assaulted her, a court has heard. Ridsdale, 83, has pleaded guilty to 23 charges, mainly indecent assaults but including rape, involving offences committed against 11 boys and one girl between 1962 and 1988. Crown prosecutor Jeremy McWilliams said on one occasion in 1974 the 10-year-old girl was woken up by her father, while Ridsdale waited in the hallway, and driven with the priest to the church. "(The girl's) father carried her to the confessional booth and took her clothes off her then carried her to the altar and lay her down," Mr McWilliams told the Victorian County Court. He then indecently assaulted her. "Ridsdale told her: 'Jesus died for our sins so we could be forgiven and if I confess to this sin I might be forgiven.' "Then he kissed her on the cheek." Many were in tears as Mr McWilliams said Ridsdale also told a nine-year-old altar boy as he raped him it was "part of God's work". Afterwards he told the sobbing boy to pray for forgiveness. "He also told (him) that if he ever told anyone, God would punish his family." The man said he had been warned by other boys at the Mortlake Catholic school not to get caught alone with Ridsdale, but had no idea why until he was himself abused. "I am in my 36th year of a sentence for a crime I did not commit," the man told the court. "My sentence is for life." Judge Irene Lawson broke down as she told the man that as a nine-year-old he was in no way responsible for what happened. Ridsdale used his position as a parish priest to befriend the children and their devout Catholic families in towns in western Victoria. He told some of his victims "it's our little secret". Mr McWilliams said Ridsdale told one boy: "Don't tell your mum and dad or your dad could die." Ridsdale pleaded guilty to 23 charges, mainly indecent assaults but including rape, for abusing 11 boys and one girl between 1962 and 1988. Defence counsel Tim Marsh earlier said Ridsdale had a small fall and then fainted but said he is OK and insisted on going to court for his plea hearing on Tuesday. The former Catholic priest has previously been convicted for sexually abusing 53 children between 1961, the year he was ordained, and the late 1980s. AUSTRALIA'S MOST PROLIFIC PEDOPHILE PRIEST GERALD FRANCIS RIDSDALE'S LIFE AND OFFENDING 1934 - Born May 20, St Arnaud, Victoria Primary school St Aloysius, Redan Secondary school St Patrick's College, Ballarat 1954-1958 - Studied for priesthood Corpus Christi College, Werribee. Began offending. 1958-1960 - Seminary, Collegio Brignole Sale, Genoa 1960-1961 - Seminary, All Hallows College, Dublin 1961 - July 25, ordained at St Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat - Fills in at five parishes including Horsham, Inglewood, Camperdown and Ballarat North 1962-1964 - Assistant priest at Ballarat North. First complaint from a boy at Villa Maria boarding school in Ballarat East 1964-1974 - Assistant priest Mildura, Swan Hill, Warrnambool and Ballarat East 1974-1975 - Parish priest Apollo Bay. Puts in for transfer after a man tells him in a pub there's talk about him and kids 1975 - Parish priest Inglewood. Panics and leaves overnight after a woman says there is talk he has been interfering with boys and police are making inquiries. Sent for counselling Early 1976 - Temporarily appointed to Bungaree 1976-1979 - Administrator then parish priest Edenhope 1980 - Study leave, National Pastoral Institute. Offended there 1981-1982 - Parish priest Mortlake. Prolific offender 1982 - Starts on-and-off counselling 1982-1985 - Catholic Enquiry Centre, Sydney. Offends against boy from parish prayer group who became his altar boy. Centre director says "I want him out of here" Early 1986 - Short periods as Woy Woy assistant priest and Forestville administrator, both in then Sydney archdiocese July 1986-May 1988 - Assistant priest Horsham. Written complaint about offending while in Horsham April 1988 - Steps down from parish work June 1988 - Suspended for 12 months 1989-1990 - Residential program in New Mexico. Admitted to police he offended in US Ridsdale says didn't offend from time he returned to Australia and his 1993 arrest March/April 1991 - Assistant priest St John of God Hospital, Richmond, NSW May 1993 - Admits indecently assaulting eight children. Sentenced to two years and three months. November 1993 - Laicised August 1994 - Admits abusing 20 boys and one girl from 1961-1982. October 1994 - Jailed for 18 years August 2006 - Sentenced to 13 years; admits abusing 10 boys from 1970-1987 April 2014 - Sentenced to eight years; admits abusing 11 boys, three girls from 1961-1980 December 2016 - Charged with 36 fresh historical sex abuse charges related to offences that allegedly took place in Ballarat, Ocean Grove, Merbein, Edenhope, Quantong, Mortlake and Riverside March 2017 - Two further charges added April 2017 - Ridsdale pleads guilty to 23 charges related the abuse of another 12 victims in Ballarat August 2017 - Faces pre-sentencing hearing in Victorian County Court. GERALD FRANCIS RIDSDALE'S CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN * Australia's most prolific pedophile priest has been in jail since August, 1994 * Convicted of 138 offences against 53 victims * Total effective sentence of 28 years' jail, before 2017 charges * Has pleaded guilty to another 20 offences against 11 victims * Believed to have abused up to 1000 children, victims' group Broken Rites says * First conviction in 1961, the year he was ordained, but began offending while in the seminary in the 1950s * Defrocked in 1993 after first convictions 1993 COURT CASE * Convicted of sexually assaulting eight children * Pleaded guilty to 27 offences * Sentenced to two years and three months, suspended after three months 1994 COURT CASE * Convicted of sexually assaulting 20 boys and one girl * Pleaded guilty to 46 offences between 1961 and 1982 * Included abusing a boy and girl after presiding over their father's funeral and indecently assaulting an altar boy during confession * Jailed for 18 years, with 15-year minimum 2006 COURT CASE * Convicted of sexually abusing 10 boys from 1970-1987 * Pleaded guilty to 35 offences * Sentenced to 13 years' jail, with seven-year minimum * Included sexual abuse in the confessional, in the sacristy, in the presbytery, in his car; following Mass, first holy communion, confirmation, weddings and funerals 2014 COURT CASE * Convicted of sexually abusing 11 boys and three girls * Pleads guilty to 30 offences between 1961 and 1980 * Victims included a girl aged four when offending began, three children in one family * Sentenced to eight years' jail, with five-year minimum 2017 COURT CASE * Has pleaded guilty to 23 offences against 11 boys and one girl * Majority indecent assault charges ABUSE CLAIMS TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH * 78 people made claims about Ridsdale to church * Cover abuse from 1961 to 1988 * Compensation totalling $2.42m (including treatment, legal and other costs) paid to 32 victims who pursued civil claims; average almost $76,000 * Total of $1.2m paid to 28 victims through redress process; average $43,000 * Based on claims received by Ballarat diocese from January 1980-February 2015.
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