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CONFIDENTIAL police reports have detailed the suicides of at least 40 people sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Victoria, and have urged a new inquiry into these and many other deaths suspected to be linked to abuse in the church.
In a damning assessment of the church’s handling of abuse issues, the reports say it appears the church has known about a shockingly high rate of suicides and premature deaths but has "chosen to remain silent."
Written by Detective Sergeant Kevin Carson, the reports state that while conducting lengthy inquiries into paedophile clergy, investigators have discovered "an inordinate number of suicides which appear to be a consequence of sexual offending.
The reports by Sergeant Carson were dated September last year and February this year. The most recent report details the "premature deaths of young men in the years following sexual assault by Catholic fraternity".
The report links at least 40 suicides to the sexual abuse perpetrated by a small number of paedophile clergy, including Gerald Ridsdale, Bryan Coffey, Paul Ryan, Robert Best and Edward Dowlan.
One of the reports includes a list of victims' names, dates of births, manner of death and the locations where the abuse is suspected or known to have taken place, including St Leo's secondary school in Box Hill, St Joseph's in Geelong and St Alipius in Ballarat East.
Among those named as suicide victims are brothers Damien and Noel Walsh, and their cousin Martin Walsh. Another brother, Rob Walsh, who was also sexually abused by Best and Ridsdale and testified against them in court, told The Age last night that an inquiry was needed because of "the church's disregard for the law and disregard for victims".
Really?
Sergeant Carson wrote that at the end of last year, "the sheer number of young men who were abused/suspected to be the victims or abuse, and who had met a premature death, continued to grow... The list does not take into account the deaths of other ex-students at the various schools the [paedophile] Christian Brothers taught at.
"The list does not take into account the many, many attempts of suicide made by victims of [clergy] sexual assault.
"Needless to say, those many, many victims have met troubled lives — marriage break-ups, abuse of alcohol and drugs and endless contact with police."
Sergeant Carson's inquiries link the deaths of 34 people to Ridsdale and Best, who are both serving lengthy sentences for sexually abusing young boys.
I want to thank JoltinJoe for his continued work in defending these criminals. I am sure the eyes of the Lord are upon him.....especially, it would appear, while he is in the shower.
Shame, Joe. Just shame.
"'Just the tip'? That's a lie".
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