A retired priest has been charged with concealing the child sex offences of a man in the Hunter in the 1980s.
The 81-year-old is also accused of being an accessory before the fact to the indecent assault of a nine-year-old at Nelson Bay and in Newcastle between 1982 and 1984.
This morning he attended Charlestown Police Station and was granted conditional bail, to appear at Newcastle Local Court on January 29.
He is only the second priest in Australia to be charged with covering up child sex offences.
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As a survivir of child abuse I am elated that these people are being exposed and made stand in front of the courts and be responsible for their cruel actions of the past. It may not ‘fix’ the problems of the victims invloved but it assists with their rehabilitaition, albeit a piece of the healing jigsaw that helps one to get on in life. We can only trust the court system will make these people accountable after the many years of suffering for the victims (and families) and for the endless hours of painstaking time the police put into investigating each case. If not trialed or convicted as they should, not only is it a slap in the face for the victim(s) but presents frustration and disrepect in view of the legal system of this country as well as the hardworking police and legal teams building the case against these criminals. All victims need to become survivors to gain purpose in their lives and the justification in court can change many lives for the better.