WARRNAMBOO (AUSTRALIA)
The Standard
July 8, 2019
By Karen Sweeney
A south-west pedophile priest has admitted to more offending, but his lawyer argues he shouldn’t be given a longer jail sentence because he’s already been vilified.
Robert Claffey, 76, is serving more than a decade in prison for sexual crimes against children, but on Monday he admitted abusing another two boys when he was a parish priest in Ballarat in the 1980s.
Claffey’s previous offences happened in various western Victorian cities and towns, including Ballarat, Warrnambool, Apollo Bay and Portland, between 1970 and 1992.
Now, prosecutors have called for a lengthier non-parole period as Claffey’s victim count rises.
But his lawyer appealed for his release date to remain the same because he’s already been “hunted” by the media and vilified by the community after being moved from parish to parish by the Catholic Church while he offended.
One of the victims was aged between 12 and 15 at the time he was abused, the other was aged between six and seven.
Claffey was a priest at Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Wendouree and abused his first victim while providing counselling to the boy in his bedroom. He kissed, touched and abused the boy.
Then he used religion to ensure the boy’s compliance, telling the teen that their talks were secret – like confession – and it would be a sin tell anyone.The younger boy was molested twice by Claffey.
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