THREE clergymen at the centre of an alleged pedophile ring at Bathurst's St Stanislaus' College pleaded not guilty to a total of 125 offences yesterday during proceedings their lawyer later claimed had been blown into a "witch-hunt".Brian Spillane, formerly the school chaplain, Peter Dwyer, a priest and former college president, and John Gaven, a former brother and dormitory supervisor, have been charged with sexually assaulting students at the Catholic boarding school during the 1970s and 1980s.
The Department of Public Prosecutions expects up to 40 alleged victims to give evidence against Spillane alone, the court heard.
Spillane, 65, who has been charged with 93 offences relating to 16 victims, was the only one of the three men to attend Bathurst Local Court yesterday, wearing a suit, dark glasses and a panama hat low on his head.
He declined to comment as he entered the courthouse and left via a rear entrance while his lawyer, Greg Walsh, faced the media at the front of the courthouse.
Mr Walsh told reporters his clients would find it difficult to get a fair trial, given the publicity surrounding the scandal, and questioned the veracity of the evidence against the men.
"It is a witch-hunt and I'm gravely concerned that their opportunity to get a fair trial has been grossly affected," Mr Walsh said.
"The allegations are bizarre and have arisen in very suspicious circumstances."
Dwyer, 65, who is fighting charges on four offences and Gaven, 66, who has been charged with 28 offences, were excused from attending court. But the court was filled with observers and former students.
An Old Boys' Association committee member, Mark Ireland, said he had not met anyone who believed the sexual assault claims and he had yet to see the evidence to persuade him they were true.
"Clearly we can't take a view … about the evidence because we haven't seen the evidence," Mr Ireland said.
"The lawyers [for the accused] haven't seen the evidence. It would appear that the DPP hasn't seen the evidence."
However, one man who says he was abused by all three men had a simple reply to claims that a witch-hunt was under way: "They are witches."
The former St Stanislaus' student, who alleges he was raped as a 13-year-old boarder in year 7 in 1987, said he knew of 60 victims.
The case has been adjourned to November.
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