AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald

JOANNE MCCARTHY

09 May, 2012

PUBLIC prejudice against Catholic priests was going to be ‘‘the elephant in the room’’, a barrister told a Sydney District Court jury yesterday at the trial of a priest charged with sex offences involving four boys.

‘‘There’s a prejudice in our community, that if you’re a priest and you’re charged with crimes of a sexual nature with respect to young boys then that’s it. Game over. Walk away,’’ the priest’s barrister said.

The priest, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has entered not guilty pleas to eight charges, including indecently assaulting the four boys and unlawfully detaining one of the boys at a Hunter location for a short period during an alleged indecent assault.

The court was told a three-week trial would hear evidence of wrestling bouts involving the priest and boys, during which the priest would allegedly hold the…