AUSTRALIA
ABC – Lateline
The inquiry into sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the Hunter region has heard that police were asked to search the office of the Catholic Archbishop Of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.
Transcript
TONY JONES, PRESENTER: The former head of a police strikeforce has told a NSW inquiry into child sexual abuse that he was made aware of crucial Church documents in the office of the Archdiocese of Sydney, headed by Cardinal George Pell.
The Special Commission of Inquiry is investigating alleged cover-ups of clerical abuse by police and the Catholic Church in the Hunter region north of Sydney.
And in another development, it’s been revealed that police were concerned about a settlement agreement between an abuse victim and the Catholic Church. Lateline has now obtained the agreement documents, which show a victim was required to repay his compensation payment plus 10 per cent per annum if he decided to take the matter to the police for criminal action.
Suzie Smith reports from Newcastle.
SUZANNE SMITH, REPORTER: This is Gresford Catholic Church and the inquiry has heard that its priest, Father Guy Hartcher, was under investigation for allegedly being part of a paedophile network. The two others involved were Father James Fletcher, who is now dead, and Father Vincent Ryan.
Father Hartcher was charged in the mid-1990s with 22 offences involving young boys in the Bathurst area in western NSW. He was subsequently moved to the Gresford Church in 1999 by the then Bishop of Maitland Newcastle, Michael Malone.
A police intelligence report, which included information about Father Hartcher was tendered as evidence. The report says police were concerned about a compensation agreement between a victim of Father Hartcher and the Catholic Church. It says:
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