A WOMAN whose son was sexually assaulted by a Catholic teacher in the 1970s has disputed a Christian Brothers version of its handling of the matter and backed calls for a Royal Commission into child sex abuse in the Catholic Church.
The woman denied contact with Brother Anthony Peter Whelan, the principal of St Patrick's College, Sutherland, in 1978 after her son, then 13, told Brother Whelan he was sexually assaulted by a teacher, Thomas Keady.
The woman disputed assertions by the Christian Brothers last week that Brother Whelan had talked with parents about the Keady allegations, saying ''we had no liaison with him whatsoever''.
Her account also contradicted Brother Whelan's signed statement to a church-commissioned investigator in November 2010 that he advised students to inform their parents because they ''had the right to take the matter up with the police''.
The woman's son, now 46, of Sydney, told the Herald he intended to lodge a formal complaint with the NSW Police concerning Brother Whelan's failure to report the matter.
''I expressly remember I was called into his office out of class and questioned,'' he said. ''The first question was 'Does anyone know about this?' and 'Have you told your parents?' I was very uneasy because, how could I have told my parents because of the trust they had for him? I remember thinking 'I can't tell mum and dad about this', so I told Whelan 'no'.''
He alleged Brother Whelan said: ''Well, leave it with us. I'll look into the matter.''
Brother Whelan sacked Keady after the allegations were raised but did not contact police, an investigation by the former NSW police assistant commissioner Norm Maroney found. Mr Maroney's report was handed to the Christian Brothers last August.
The Christian Brothers prematurely stopped Mr Maroney's investigation of a complaint by a Salt Ash man, Robert Lipari, against Keady and Brother Whelan, after substantiating allegations that Keady sexually assaulted Mr Lipari in 1976 when he was 11.
Mr Maroney recorded an ''incomplete investigation'' finding to an allegation Mr Lipari told Brother Whelan that Keady had sexually assaulted him.
In his signed statement, Brother Whelan said he had ''absolutely no knowledge'' that Keady was convicted of a child sex offence before he was employed.
Brother Whelan said he was also unaware if an employment check on Keady was made before he was employed in 1966 because he did not work at the school at that time.
After Keady was sacked, he was convicted at Wyong Local Court of a further child sex offence in 1994.
The mother who denied any contact with Brother Whelan over her son's sexual assault said that revelations about church failures to report allegations to police, including allegations that were raised in the ABC's Four Corners report last week and about her son's former school, made her ''very angry''.
''I grew up in a very Catholic family. I'd like to see it all brought out into the open and justice done, and if there needs to be a Royal Commission to do that, then that's what should happen,'' she said.
The Christian Brothers had no comment.