Tuesday 3 July 2018

Adelaide Archbishop sentence 1yr detention concealing child sex abuse (video)

Guilty Adelaide Archbishop sentenced to 1yr detention

 Today Australia has made history. Today, Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson, the world's highest ranking Catholic official to ever be found guilty of concealing child sexual abuse, has also been sentenced to 12 months detention for his crimes. Likely home detention with one of those ankle things, due to his age and health bla.

 Incredibly, Philip Wilson is still Adelaide's Archbishop. He's only stood down with an acting one taking his place. He hasn't resigned or (as yet) been sacked by the Pope.

 Australia is leading the world in bringing these people to justice, even though the crimes in question were committed decades ago.

 The magistrate felt he had no choice but than to issue a custodial sentence given the need for deterrence. Or to put it another way, setting a precedent in Australia that priests can not get away with hiding child sexual abuse from Australian secular authorities anymore.
This is a huge win for the victims that would have never been so had it not been for Philip Wilson failing to report the crimes of a paedophile priest to the police back in the 1970's. More widely it's a crushing blow to the Australian Catholic church, which so far has steadfastly resisted breaking the paedophile paradise "seal of confession", despite it becoming law in (so far) two Australian states to do so.

 More personally, it's a welcome surprise to the LGBT community. After many years of the Catholic church saying that gays were paedophiles along with that inference feeding into their opposition to David and I marrying last year in the postal survey, with the church putting their full weight behind the No vote, it's good to see the truth finally come out in a court of law.
Tony Abbott lunches with George Pell
The anachronism of Catholic so called "moral authority" is finally crumbling in Australia. I hope in the future they will never again hold such a grip on public policy and debate as they've had in the past. 

 Indeed many of the federal gov members are staunch Catholics, with notably ex prime minister Abbott in the past regularly lunching with George Pell. No doubt a big reason why so many of the gov members were so dead set against marriage equality. Pell is of course now facing his own criminal charges in Australia over historic child sex abuse. 
The 67-year-old Archbishop – the most senior Catholic cleric in the world to be found guilty of concealing child sexual abuse – showed no emotion as he was told he would likely avoid a full-time jail term in Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday.

 Wilson, who stood aside, but refused to resign from his position after sensationally being found guilty in May following a landmark eight-day hearing, was sentenced to a 12-month home detention order.

 Magistrate Robert Stone said he should be assessed as to his suitability to serve the sentence at a family member’s home in NSW and adjourned the matter until August 14.

 Mr Stone had said that given the criminality of the offence and the need for general deterrence, only a custodial sentence could be imposed.

 He said a suspended jail term did not support the need to deter others from similar offending and due to his age Wilson would likely not be suitable for an intensive corrections order (ICO), a form of custodial sentence served in the community.

 That left full-time jail or home detention and given Wilson’s age, mental and physical conditions, and that he had nothing on his criminal record Mr Stone found he could be adequately punished with a 12-month home detention order. Sydney Morning Herald



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