AUSTRALIA
Broken Rites
By a Broken Rites researcher (article updated 12 June 2015)
On 12 June 2015, in Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court, pre-sentence proceedings began for a Marist Brother, Francis William Cable (known as Brother “Romuald”), who has been found guilty of 13 serious child sex offences against two schoolboys after a jury trial. After the jury’s verdict, he entered guilty pleas to offences against another 17 schoolboys. The offences occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, when Brother “Romuald” Cable was aged in his thirties and forties. The offences include buggery, plus multiple counts of indecent assault. These 19 schoolboys are not necessarily Brother “Romuald” Cable’s only victims – these are merely those who have taken the opportunity to speak with police detectives. Too often, other similar victims remain silent.
Francis William Cable was born on 3 May 1932. He has been a Marist Brother since the 1950s. On becoming a Brother, he was assigned the name “Brother Romuald”, in honour of an ancient saint. But, as shown in this court case, Francis Cable was no saint. His colleagues and superiors ignored Brother Romuald’s crimes until finally one of his victims spoke to the detectives, who then found some more of Romuald’s victims.
How the court case began
On 29 January 2013 Brother “Romuald” Cable appeared in Newcastle Local court, where the first charges were officially recorded. The detectives then increased the number of indecent assault charges to 23, and added two buggery charges. The number of alleged victims increased from two to six. After this court appearance, more former students contacted Strike Force Georgiana detectives in Newcastle.
On 13 March 2013 the case came up for mention again in the same court.The number of charges against Cable was increased to 33 and the number of alleged victims was increased to 12.
When the case came up for mention again in court on 3 July 2013, the prosecutor told the court that another 13 charges would be laid against Cable, bringing the total to 46.
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