BALLARAT (AUSTRALIA)
The Courier
July 11, 2019
Robert Claffey, 76, is already serving more than a decade in prison for child sex crimes.
However on Monday he admitted abusing another two boys at Ballarat during the 1980s.
One of the victims was aged between 12 and 15 at the time, while the other was aged six to seven.
One of the boys, now a man, is expected to a read a statement in the County Court of Victoria on Friday about how Claffey’s crimes have affected his life.
It is then expected the former Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Wendouree parish priest will be sentenced.
But while prosecutors have argued Claffey should spend more time behind bars, the now lay priest’s legal team claims he’s already been vilified.
His lawyer argued Claffey’s prison release date should remain unchanged as he’s been “hunted” by the media and scorned by the community after being moved from parish to parish by the Catholic Church while he offended.
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.