AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By court reporter Sarah Farnsworth
A court has heard a Catholic Brother from America voluntarily returned to Australia to face allegations of child sex abuse.
73-year-old Bernard Hartman appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court charged over the alleged abuse of four children during his time at St Paul’s college in the 1970s and 80s.
The Prosecution told the court his alleged victims are two boys and two girls aged between six and 16 and the alleged crimes took place both at the college and the homes of the children.
The court heard the first complaint against Hartman was made in 2003, but no action was taken until more complaints came forward last year.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.