AUSTRALIA
The Times
A MUCH-LOVED Riverina priest acquitted this week of raping a 10-year-old girl will never escape the black mark against his name, according to a former Griffith mayor who himself was cleared of serious charges.
Griffith councillor Mike Neville said Father Neru Leuea will always be stalked by the unproven allegations he sexually assaulted the girl in 2003.
Cr Neville faced a high-profile sexual assault case in 2012, while he was Griffith mayor, but was not found guilty.
“No matter where he (Fr Neru) goes or what he does in the future, this will follow him,” Cr Neville said.
“You don’t get your life back; you have to make a new life and it was not just for me, it was for my family – all of those lives have been changed.
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