(AUSTRALIA)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation - ABC [Sydney, Australia]
April 5, 2024
By Rochelle Kirkham
- In short: Gerald Ridsdale is facing 62 new charges relating to alleged historic sexual abuse.
- The charges relate to alleged offences against six male victims in Inglewood and Mortlake between 1973 and 1981.
- What’s next? Ridsdale is expected to appear at the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court this month.
Police have laid new charges against notorious paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale, alleging further cases of historic sexual assaults against boys in central and south-west Victoria.
Ridsdale, 89, has been in prison since 1994 for the abuse of more than 70 children in Victoria and was sentenced for the eighth time last year.
Victoria Police said the Sexual Crimes Squad brought a further 62 charges against him following an investigation into a number of alleged historical sexual assaults.
The new charges of sexual penetration of a person aged between 10 and 16 and indecent assault relate to alleged incidents involving six male victims in Inglewood and Mortlake between 1973 and 1981.
Police charged Ridsdale with 24 sexual offences in March 2022 as part of the same investigation, which related to two male victims in Mortlake in 1981 and 1982.
Sexual assault support lines:
- 1800 Respect National Helpline: 1800 737 732
- Sexual Assault Counselling Australia: 1800 211 028
- Men’s Referral Service: 1300 766 491
- Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114
- Victims of Crime Helpline: 1800 819 817
Ridsdale, who was born in Ballarat, appeared frail and was bedridden during his last court appearance in August last year.
During that hearing, Magistrate Hugh Radford told the court Ridsdale was in chronic pain, had atrophying muscles, weakness of limbs, and was likely go into palliative care.
His earliest possible release date is April 2028 and his total sentence is due to expire in September 2034.
Ridsdale is expected to appear at the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court later this month.