AUSTRALIA
ABC News
A disabled woman has begun a legal case against her former parish priest for sexually abusing her over a 14-year period.
Jennifer Herrick is seeking aggravated damages from Father Tom Knowles and three senior members of his Catholic Church order, the Blessed Sacrament Fathers.
Ms Herrick says Father Knowles repeatedly exploited her vulnerability as a disabled and sexually naive parishioner.
In June, Ms Herrick spoke exclusively to the ABC about how the church was using the controversial Ellis defence to fight her claim.
Today, she took the long train ride from her home on the NSW Central Coast to Sydney for the first day of her hearing in the Supreme Court.
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.