AUSTRALIA
The Age

March 6, 2016

Carolyn Webb

A Catholic priest whose parish is at the centre of historical sexual abuse allegations has spoken of the burden of living in a possible “crime scene”.

Father Michael Shadbolt, parish priest of Holy Family church in Doveton for 17 years, said he was horrified by allegations that some of his predecessor priests had committed sexual and other assaults on parishioners.

He said he knew Peter Searson in 1996 when both were priests in the area, but he had not known he was a paedophile. “In a way I’m horrified,” Father Shadbolt said. “But I guess also in a sense I’m not surprised because he did seem a very strange personality.”

“I’m possibly living in a crime scene,” he told Fairfax Media before 9.30 Mass on Sunday. “It’s quite sad. Perhaps the presbytery is where some of the crimes were done, I…