AUSTRALIA
The Australian
JARED OWENS
From:The Australian
January 23, 2013
A FORMER Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing three young girls in northern NSW was this morning charged with 35 new offences relating to six altar boys, all aged between 11 and 12, in the early 1980s.
The former priest, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in Armidale Local Court to be charged with the new offences, which allegedly occurred in Moree between 1981 and 1984. He was also charged with one count of not having approved storage for a firearm.
The 59-year-old was already facing 25 child sex offences against three girls aged as young as five, which allegedly took place over 13 years, dating back to 1975.
The former priest moved between a number of parishes in northern NSW during the 1980s and ultimately to the Sydney diocese of Parramatta, before being removed from public ministry. The decision to remove him followed a 1992 meeting with three current senior clerics, at which it was alleged he had sexually abused children.
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