AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By Dan Cox
An inquiry into child sexual abuse in the New South Wales Hunter Valley’s Catholic Church has heard “potential evidence was destroyed” when a paedophile priest was warned about abuse allegations against him.
The second stage of the inquiry is investigating claims by senior New South Wales policeman Peter Fox that the church covered-up allegations of of abuse by two priests, James Fletcher and Dennis McAlinden.
In giving evidence today, Detective Chief Inspector Fox told the court that in 2005 the then Maitland-Newcastle Bishop Michael Malone told Fletcher that someone had been to police complaining they had been sexually abused by him.
Peter Fox said the victim’s mother was most distraught that Fletcher had been told the name of the complainant.
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