AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By Jessica Longbottom
The former headmaster of a Ballarat school where a notorious paedophile operated says he cannot remember any sexual abuse complaints ever being made against the teacher, a royal commission has heard.
Brother Paul Nangle, who was headmaster of St Patrick’s College from 1974 to 1979, has given evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
He was questioned about his knowledge of Brother Edward Dowlan who worked at the school at the time, and was later convicted of molesting dozens of boys.
In a frustrating day of evidence for survivors, Brother Nangle answered many questions with “I can’t recall”, or “I can’t remember”, despite previous evidence at least four complaints were made to him about Brother Dowlan.
The now 84-year-old said he only remembered one accusation of corporal punishment levelled against Brother Dowlan, and never anything of a sexual nature.
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