“Former Catholic principal Julian Fox returns from Rome to face child sex charges“ & related articles

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The Herald Sun (Australia)

April 22, 2013 1:21PM

Shannon Deery

Julian Fox

Father Julian Fox.

FORMER Catholic principal Julian Fox has been charged with child sex crimes spanning two decades.

The former Salesian College, Rupertswood, principal was charged with 10 offences this morning.

The charges came after Fr Fox returned from Rome on Friday.

Allegations have been levelled at the Salesian Order that they knowingly let Fr Fox relocate to Rome after accusations were made against him.

Fr Fox moved to Fiji in 1999 before allegations of child sexual abuse were made public.

He later moved to Rome, where he worked for the Salesian head office, 10km from the Vatican.

In 2004 the Australian chapter was engulfed in global scandal after it was alleged local superiors moved priests accused of sexual assaults across international and state borders to evade authorities.

Fr Fox is the third Salesian priest to be arrested in less than 12 months.

Police allege he abused students at the college between 1976 and 1985.

Detectives had been negotiating with the Catholic Church since July 2012 to have him returned from Rome.

A police statement today said the return was a “breakthrough in co-operation between the Victoria Police and the Catholic Church”.

Fr Fox, 67, presented himself to police at Crime Command headquarters in St Kilda Rd.

He has been charged with 10 offences, including buggery, indecent assault and common law assault.

He has been bailed by police to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

Shannon.deery@news.com.au

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Vic priest charged over sex abuse cases

April 22, 2013 – 12:13PM

The Sydney Morning Herald

 

A Catholic priest living in Rome has returned to Australia to be charged with sexually abusing Victorian children after months of negotiation between police and the church.

The 67-year-old man had been wanted for questioning over historical child sexual abuse allegations over the past 10 months.

But the priest and his lawyer walked into the Victoria Police crime department headquarters in Melbourne to face the allegations on Monday.

“The return of this man to Victoria is considered a breakthrough in co-operation between the Victoria Police and the Catholic Church,” a police statement said.

He was charged with 10 offences, including buggery, indecent assault and common law assault.

The alleged offences occurred between 1976 and 1985 in Ferntree Gully, in Melbourne’s outer east, and in Sunbury, about 40km northwest of the city.

He is the latest person to be charged after police set up a specialist taskforce in November last year to deal with allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy.

An increasing number of victims came forward due to the state’s parliamentary inquiry into child sex abuse by religious and other organisations, prompting the creation of the Sano taskforce.

The charged priest, of Ascot Vale, has now been bailed to appear in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.

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Back from Rome, priest on child-sex charges

The Border Mail (Australia)

22 April 2013

A Catholic priest has been charged with child-sex offences stretching back almost 40 years after police negotiated the man’s return from Rome with the Catholic Church.

Police have hailed the arrest as “a breakthrough in co-operation between the Victoria Police and the Catholic Church”.

The 67-year-old man went to the police crime command headquarters at St Kilda Road and was charged with 10 offences, including buggery, indecent assault and common-law assault, allegedly committed in Sunbury and Ferntree Gully between 1976 and 1985.

Police said they had been negotiating with the Church since July over the priest’s return. He has been bailed to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.

While police did not specify which institution the priest served at, several priests connected to the former Salesian College at the Rupertswood property, in Sunbury, have been questioned by detectives over historical child-sex offences.

Frank Klep, 69, the former principal at Rupertswood has been charged with six counts of indecent assault between 1974 and 1984.

Former Rupertswood vice-principal David Rapson, 59, is due to stand trial at the County Court this year charged with abusing five boys at the school between 1973 and 1990.

1 Response to “Former Catholic principal Julian Fox returns from Rome to face child sex charges“ & related articles

  1. Sylvia says:

    I just added the first article which identifies the priest whose negotiated return from the Vatican to face charges is Salesian priest Julain Fox.

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