AUSTRALIA
7 News

AAP

BY ANGUS LIVINGSTON
August 19, 2014

The man in charge of investigating pedophile priests in Melbourne told one victim to sue the Catholic Church.

The priest had been moved to the victim’s parish after allegations of abuse elsewhere were reported to the church.

Melbourne Response independent commissioner Peter O’Callaghan QC told the child abuse royal commission he believed the man had a case for compensation through the courts.

“I said to him, `Look, I know that you should get independent legal advice because there may be an action open to you’,” Mr O’Callaghan told the commission on Tuesday.

“I thought he would have much more success, and I think he did.

“I don’t recall the details of it, but typically of course if you can mount a case at common law you will recover much more than the ex-gratia compensation.”