No notes on pedophile interviews

A senior official in the Church interviewed dozens of alleged pedophile priests, many of whom admitted their crimes, but took no notes as they might have been used in any subsequent legal action, reports The Australian.

Fr Brian Lucas, General Secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, told the NSW special commission of inquiry into the police investigation of child sexual abuse allegations in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle that his role was to 'seduce them to resign'.

One of the priests Fr Lucas interviewed, Denis McAlinden, was subsequently subject to an arrest warrant issued by NSW Police, but died before being charged, the inquiry has heard. Another is currently before the courts, charged with child sex abuse.

Giving evidence yesterday, Fr Lucas said McAlinden had admitted abusing children and he had been prepared to risk committing an offence himself by not reporting this to police.

Counsel assisting the inquiry, Julia Lonergan, asked Fr Lucas if he did not take notes during these meetings as 'you didn't want it to have to be disclosed in any subsequent legal process?'

 

'I think that would be a reasonable comment,' he replied.

'You have published views for the benefit of other clergy to the effect that it's a good idea not to take notes, so that a subsequent legal process that would compel production of them cannot be successful?'

'In some instances that would be accurate, yes,' Father Lucas said.

Throughout the early 1990s, Father Lucas said he interviewed about 35 alleged pedophile priests, from across NSW, many of whom were convinced to resign.