Bail continued for former Catholic priest

The 59-year-old former Catholic priest charged with a host of historical child sexual assault offences, appeared in Armidale Local Court last Wednesday.

The non-publication order on the man’s name/identity has been continued.

Charges are currently being broken up and addressed in two separate blocks.

In relation to the second block, the accused is to reappear on March 20, while the initial counts are adjourned until April 3.

Conditional Bail is continued.

Initially, the man attended Armidale Local Court, facing 25 charges relating to alleged child-sex offences against three female children in the 1970s and 1980s.

Last month (January 20), he was charged with 35 additional offences relating to alleged historical child assault offences against six boys, aged 11 and 12, between 1981 and 1984. They included nine counts of sexual assault; 25 counts of indecent assault; and one count of common assault.

The boys were all altar boys at the Moree Parish, Armidale Diocese at the time of the alleged assaults.

Strike Force Glenroe, comprising detectives from the Sex Crimes Squad and New England Local Area Command investigators is continuing investigations and detectives urge anyone with information to assist them to come forward.

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