Brian Ross wrote on Dec 10
th, 2021 at 1:15pm:
Paedophile priest Anthony William Peter Caruana has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for abusing schoolboys as young as 12.
The abuse occurred between 1982 and 1989 while the now 80-year-old was a teacher at Chevalier College, a boys' school at Burradoo in the NSW Southern Highlands.
In July, Caruana was convicted of 26 offences against 12 students, including 22 counts of indecent assault and four counts of sexual intercourse with a pupil.
In her sentencing remarks today, NSW District Court Judge Robyn Tupman said Caruana abused his position of authority to carry out his crimes.
"Each of the offences was committed in circumstances where the offender had a special duty to each of these young boys over and above that which every adult owes to every child," she said.
"Each of them involves a breach of trust towards these children."
"These boys were entrusted to the school and the care of teachers and priests like this offender, and he abused that trust by sexually assaulting them as he did."
Judge Tupman said Caruana's jail term was likely to be spent in "onerous conditions because of the nature of the offending, his age and the deterioration of his health".
The court heard that Caruana committed his crimes when he was the school's dormitory master, rugby coach and bandmaster.
One of the victims was subjected to abuse of escalating severity after band practice.
Our holiday house is in Burradoo. And some of our neighbours sent their kids to Chevalier. There was a lot of covert shyte going on in there.
We're not Catholic so our kids have never attended any Catholic school.
My ex husband was a Waverley College alumni though. The shyte that went on there STILL hasn't been fully addressed. Why? A few affected boys have committed suicide so that makes things very difficult. My ex was one of them. Alcohol fuelled gambling mixed with random acts of violence and self sabotage basically ruined his life and the kids and I had to run for cover because it was just too traumatic.
And it was all pretty much compliments of physical and sexual abuse by a notable Christian brother there (who is also no longer alive).
The brutal truth behind the few cases which make the headlines takes time to process unfortunately.
The cost to society is another matter. i