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Australia: Probably the best thing about writing for the Prattle is the joy of coming up with titles worthy of the Weekly World News. If only I could wangle aliens or Elvis in there, I'd probably be seeing a lawsuit for treading on their toes.
This particular tale is about James Fletcher, a former Catholic priest in the Hunter Valley parish. He liked to get quite familiar with his altar boys. Fortunately, some of those kids has the guts to face up to the kind of scum in the upper echelon of the Catholic church, who coddled the paedophiles in their midst and bad-mouthed or paid-off their victims, and the good Father found himself sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in stir.
Not one to cop it sweet, Fletcher tried to appeal against his sentence with a weaselling attempt to overthrow evidence.
His appeal against his conviction was dismissed in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal today in a majority decision by a three-judge panel.
Fletcher appealed on two grounds, including that the trial judge erred in admitting the evidence of a particular witness and in his directions to the jury about it...
...Justice Carolyn Simpson said today the trial judge was correct in allowing GG's evidence...
...The surrounding circumstances, of the appellant's (Fletcher's) friendship with the families and the role of the complainant and GG as alter boys were capable, in my opinion, of fleshing out and confirming the prosecution case against the appellant in respect of those acts with which he is charged,Justice Simpson said in her judgment.
Priest loses sex abuse appeal - AAP, 23rd September 2005.
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at 01:40. Last modified on September 28 2006 at 23:43.
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