Former Priest refused bail in NSW on 92
historical child sex abuse charges
Breanna Chillingworth
A FORMER Catholic priest has been refused bail in court, accused of molesting or abusing 30 young boys or girls while he was a priest in the New England and North West area.
David Joseph Perrett was flanked by his brother and walked into Armidale Local Court with a walking stick on Wednesday, after he was charged with an additional 30 historical child sex abuse offences.
But the now 81-year-old left the courtroom in the custody of Corrective Services NSW officers after being denied bail by magistrate Michael Holmes.
Mr Holmes said the “court has taken into account his evidence he gave to the court, his medical condition" as well as his “frailty”, his age and the “historical nature of the offence” but found Perrett had not shown cause why his detention was not justified.
Mr Holmes refused bail, and said he believed Perrett’s medical conditions could be adequately addressed in custody, while his case moves through the courts.
On Wednesday, The Leader revealed the now 81-year-old stands accused of 92 separate allegations between the 1960s and 1990s in the Armidale, Lower Creek, Moree, Walgett and Guyra areas.
He is yet to enter pleas. On Wednesday, the DPP lodged a detention application to have Perrett refused bail.
Eleven of the new charges triggered a show cause hearing meaning Perrett needed to produce evidence as to why his detention was not justified, because “they all involved sexual intercourse with people, children under the age of 16”.
DPP solicitor Luke Boenisch said two of the charges involved sexual intercourse with a child that was “five years old and are punishable by life”.
Two detectives including the officer-in-charge from Strike Force Bennett – who have been investigating historical abuse allegations – were in court for the bail application, which spanned much of the day in Armidale court.
Barrister Jason Curtis submitted medical reports from two doctors but was unavailable to obtain a report from Perrett’s cardiologist, who is treating him for a heart condition.
Giving evidence in court, Perrett said he had had “five or six visits to the casualty ward at the Armidale hospital because of respiratory difficulties” but that was later clarified to be visits to the private hospital for treatment for sleep apnoea. He sleeps with a breathing machine, the court heard.
“I depend on my brother to put on my socks,” Perrett told the court, explaining his breathing difficulties meant he couldn’t tie his own laces and he had to keep his “head up”. Perrett said he had other complications, but Mr Boenisch argued “that condition is currently stable” and he was being medicated.
He continues to live with his brother and up until an operation eight weeks ago, walked to the police station, which was a 2km round trip.
Mr Curtis wanted to call a witness to give evidence about the “weaknesses” and “inconsistencies” and tendered two letters from a child at the orphanage where some of the alleged offending occurred, along with a nun.
He said it was “an implausible allegation” that Perrett attended the dormitory where some of the alleged offending occurred because they argued there was no such “sacristy room” or “toilet facilities, within the church hall structure”.
Mr Curtis submitted there was “no independent evidence”, and the “strength of the Crown case is no more than a he said, she said” case. Mr Boesnich argued Perrett was “an elderly man … that seems to be the main issue” and on his health, “those conditions as they are could be dealt with in prison”. “He’s medicated, and he’s currently stable,” he said.
He argued if found guilty, Perrett would face a lengthy jail term, and submitted that on the strength of the Crown case, involving 30 alleged victims, that “these matters are almost exclusively oath-on-oath”.
He also told the court further evidence had been served on Wednesday “that indicates the church has been renovated” over the years, and “things have been moved around”.
The court heard Perrett was ordained as a priest in 1961 and spent time in Walcha and Moree before being transferred to Armidale for 11 years in 1969. He was then appointed to positions in the church in Guyra, Walgett and Boggabri. He is now retired.
Armidale detectives have been investigating abuse allegations against the retired Catholic priest since 2015, and 62 separate charges in relation to 21 complainants had been before the court. In recent months, nine new complainants have come forward alleging abuse at the hands of the retired priest.
Of the 30 new charges, that were in court for the first time on Wednesday, Perrett is accused of sexually abusing or molesting children in areas such as Lower Creek, Guyra and Walgett. The new charges include buggery, carnal knowledge of a child under 10, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He faces life behind bars if found guilty of the offences.
He faces a lot worse when that is over!
Perrett was extradited by Armidale detectives from Wallangara in May 2017 and taken to Armidale, where he spent one night in custody before being granted bail in an out-of-sessions weekend bail hearing before a registrar in Armidale Local Court.
The court heard he had reported to police 168 times since.
Perrett will now remain behind bars until the case returns to court in mid-October. Detectives have been ordered to compile a brief of evidence in relation to the new charges.
More than half of Swedish rape convicts came from abroad, TV research claims
As the article points out - these are only for convicted rapists and sex abusers - Sweden has a very low rape-conviction rate, unfortunately, so the numbers represent a small sample. And if, as I suspect, Sweden is like Germany in requiring a very high standard of proof against migrants, then you can be certain that the percentage of rapes committed by migrants is much higher than 58%.
© Global Look Press/ Aftonbladet
Swedish broadcaster SVT reviewed all the 843 guilty verdicts in cases involving rape or attempted rape that occurred in the country since 2013 as part of its research.
Its journalists revealed that 58 percent of those convicted were born outside the country, while almost 40 percent were migrants from the Middle East and Africa.
Should we read into it that those from the Middle East and Africa are Muslims?
Besides, over eight out of 10 men convicted of rape in cases where the perpetrator was unknown to the victim were born abroad, according to STV.
Asylum seekers from Afghanistan topped the chart of foreigners sentenced for rape crimes, as 45 of the 843 migrants from the country were convicted in Sweden.
The sexual assault convicts were also described as people with a low level of education, a third of whom had a pre-existing criminal history. According to the broadcaster, many of the perpetrators were under the influence of drugs or alcohol when they raped or attempted to rape their victims.
Since the peak of the migrant crisis in 2015 when Sweden took in around 160,000 asylum seekers, crime associated with the new arrivals and their inability to accept European values have been a hot topic in the country.
Hot topic, but not so much in the media which has been largely ignoring the desperate plight of young Swedish girls being raped and abused by Muslim migrants who see them all as prostitutes, because they are not Muslim.
Following the release of the report, the anti-migrant Sweden Democrats Party said that foreigners guilty of rape should be swiftly deported. The party is currently polling at 19 percent, according to Ipsos, and is looking to record its best-ever result in the forthcoming election on September 9.
However, SVT pointed out that no conclusions could be made on the real scale of involvement of migrants in sexual assault, as the conviction rate in relation to rape in the country remains very low.
The survey still raises questions on the Sweden's ability to integrate immigrants.
No. I think it answers a lot of those questions! The answer is that Sweden's ability to integrate Muslims is abysmal, like every other country that has tried.
11 Scottish Nuns arrested for physical and sexual abuse
at orphanage
BY JAKUB LEWANDOWSKI
Eleven nuns were among the 12 people who were arrested and charged on Thursday for years of alleged physical and sexual abuse against children at a Catholic orphanage in Scotland.
“Twelve people, 11 women and one man, ages ranging from 62 to 85 years, have been arrested and charged in connection with the non-recent abuse of children. All are subject of reports to (the) Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal. A further four individuals will be reported today. Inquiries are continuing, it would be inappropriate to comment further,” a spokesperson from Police Scotland, the national police force of Scotland, said, according to The Guardian.
A general view of the former Smyllum Park Orphanage on September 11, 2017 in Lanark, Scotland. Eleven Nuns were arrested for alleged physical and sexual abuse that occured at the orphanage.
JEFF J MITCHELL/GETTY
Nuns and lay staff who worked at the orphanage allegedly humiliated children for bedwetting, did not feed them, repeatedly beat them, and verbally and sexually abused them, according to those who lived there.
“The order is deeply troubled by each of these failings. As Daughters of Charity our values are totally against any form of abuse and thus we offer our most sincere and heartfelt apology to anyone who suffered under any form of abuse in our care,” Gregor Rolfe, a lawyer for the Daughters of Charity told Lady Smith, a high court judge and chair of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, last year, reported The Guardian.
A mass grave filled with the bodies of at least 400 children was discovered close to the orphanage in 2003. Records show that the majority of the children died from tuberculosis, pneumonia, and pleurisy and that one-third of the children were under the age of five.
“Investigating child abuse offenses is highly complex and every care is taken to ensure that inquiries are proportionate, appropriate and that victims’ needs are central to our investigations,” said Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Taylor, according to Sky News.
Marie Peachy, who lived with her older brother and younger sister for five years in the orphanage, told the BBC that she will never forget what she saw there.
“It could be something stupid, then you’re straight back to Smyllum, back to being a scared little girl sometimes. I’m in my 50s now and I still feel scared,” Peachy told the BBC.
Victims praised after beast sentenced
for child sex abuse in Scotland
James Rennie, also known as James Black, was yesterday sentenced at Dundee Sheriff Court to 42 months in prison.
The 72-year-old, who lived in Edinburgh, has also been registered indefinitely as a sex offender.
The offences took place in the Tayport area between 1977 and 1981, and were reported to police in 2016.
Rennie was found guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court on July 13 2018.
Detective Constable Kenny Watt of Fife’s Public Protection Unit said: “Rennie’s conviction is due to the courage and strength of the victims in coming forward, and I hope that a prison sentence has helped to give them some sense of closure.
“Time is no barrier to reporting sexual crimes. I would encourage any members of the public who may have information about anyone responsible for such offences to contact Police Scotland on 101, or report this anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Child sex abuser repeatedly attacked in jail;
lawyer says it's vigilante justice
Kevin Martin
The Calgary man convicted of brutally sexually abusing his young daughter may have been the victim of jailhouse vigilante justice, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Defence counsel Alias Sanders said her client, who can’t be named to protect his victim’s identity, has been assaulted three times while on remand.
But Crown prosecutor Rosalind Greenwood said there’s nothing to indicate the attacks are related to the crimes for which the man has been convicted.
“There’s no evidence before the court that that is the case,” Greenwood told Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Bruce Millar. “It is equally possible (the offender) isn’t getting along with the other inmates . . . maybe he’s beaking off.”
But Sanders said regardless of the motivation for the attacks, two in the Calgary Remand Centre and one in Medicine Hat, the offender should get enhanced credit off his sentence for the conditions he’s had to endure.
“There were three incidents where (he) was beaten up by other remand inmates,” said Sanders, noting charges have been laid in all three attacks. “Whether it’s the nature of the charges or whether he’s not fitting in, my submission is it ought not to make much difference.”
Of course. Why should he be rewarded for being a jerk aside from an incestuous pervert?
Daughter was just 2 when it started
The father was convicted in January of eight charges, including incest and unlawful confinement, over his sexual abuse of his daughter between the ages of two and four.
Sanders argued the appropriate sentence for the offender is 10 years minus credit for his remand time, which she says should be over and above the usual 1.5 days for every day served.
Greenwood earlier suggested an 18-year sentence would be appropriate.
Sanders said she will attempt to get a copy of the video of the most recent beating of her client to determine if she wants to call further evidence in his sentencing hearing.
If she does not, Millar will rule Oct. 1, whether his charges should be stayed due to unreasonable delay and, if not, what the appropriate sentence should be.
OMG - You cannot possibly stay these charges and let that lunatic loose. He should not see daylight until his daughter is at least 21. Think about the victim here judge and just sentence him.
Canada has a limited amount of time to convict a person. If it takes too long to get a conviction the charges can be vacated by the judge and the perpetrator will walk free. The victim(s) of his crimes get no justice at all and have to worry about retribution. It doesn't appear that the Canadian government is doing an awful lot to alleviate the shortages of judges that has caused the problem in the first place.
Ratana Church minister charged with
child sex offending in NZ
The Ratana Church appears to be a mixture of Christian beliefs
and Maori culture
By: Anna LeaskNew Zealand Herald
A minister of the Ratana Church has been charged with sexual offending against a child and will go on trial in the next year.
Daniel Brass Raharaha Nehemia, 56, is facing six charges of sexually assaulting at least one boy under the age of 12.
Nehemia has pleaded not guilty to four charges of indecent assault on a boy under 12 and two counts of unlawful sexual connection relating to a boy under 12. He will stand trial in the Auckland District Court in April next year.
Nehemia was ordained as a minister in the Ratana Church in November 2015. The church was founded at Ratana Pa near Whanganui in 1920 by Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana — a Methodist farmer who was regarded as a visionary and faith healer.
"I have been so blessed to be appointed by our Komiti Matua o te Haahi Ratana, and supported by many others, to become an Apotoro Rehita, a Registered Minister of the Established Ratana Church of New Zealand on this very day," he wrote in 2015.
Detective Senior Sergeant Jason McIntosh from the Waitemata police could not comment on the specifics of the case as it was before the courts. "Police take any complaints of a sexual nature very seriously and we have a team of highly trained staff to deal with these sensitive matters," he said. "We encourage anyone with information they wish to discuss with police, or matters they would like to report, to contact us."
McIntosh said anyone who wishes to speak with police regarding such a complaint should contact Detective Jackson Shewry on 021 191 4085.
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