Pedophile Catholic Priest Who Sexually Abused Young Boys to Be Jailed
Priest is charged with 26 offences committed against 12 young boys
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A Catholic priest will be jailed for sexually abusing a dozen young boys at a prestigious boy’s college in the 1980s.
The priest, Anthony William Peter Caruana, who is also a former teacher, rugby coach, and music conductor, will be sentenced in the New South Wales (NSW) District Court in Sydney, Australia.
Caruana is charged with 26 offenses committed against 12 young boys thirty years ago at the Chevalier College in NSW’s Southern Highlands.
The charges include:
- 22 counts of indecent assault
- Four counts of sexual intercourse with young boys
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The 79-year-old was underwent a jury trial in April 2019 after his first arrest.
Caruana was later granted bail in a Local Court in Sydney before being charged with more offenses in the same year.
The trial, which lasted seven weeks, saw jurors hear evidence of 12 complainants between 11 and 15 years old when the priest abused them.
While working as a rugby coach, Caruana held onto one 12-year-old’s genitals while showing him how to pack a scrum.
The priest grabbed a year-seven boy’s genitals underwater at a swimming carnival.
He also repeatedly attacked a 13-year-old boy in a music band story room.
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The last victim was told words to the effect of “you’re pleasing a man of God” and “God will love you if you do what I say” as he grabbed the boy.
Boys also reported the abuse to their parents but were not believed, which brought on further trauma.
But after complaints, Caruana was removed from his teaching role before being forced to take psychiatric assessment and counseling.
Judge Robyn Tupman, the judge sentencing the priest, heard Caruana was isolated from his peers and family at the age of 10 before being placed in a junior religious role.
His lawyer said this “overwhelmingly dysfunctional upbringing” was the contextual background to his psychosexual dysfunctions.
The crown noted the former priest had spent the better years of his life enjoying freedoms.
Chevalier College Principle Sean McDermott declared profound feelings of sorrow over the events.
“I want to emphasize our profound sorrow that such events – which we openly acknowledge as part of our Chevalier history – could ever have occurred,” said the apology statement by Principle Sean McDermott.
