VICTIMS of sexual abuse will have to wait for some time yet to learn if they will be able to give evidence in Bathurst as part of the new royal commission which started this week.
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The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse began hearings in Melbourne on Wednesday.
It will examine all institutions in a far-ranging inquiry that will last at least three years.
A spokesman for the Royal Commission said yesterday dates and venues for hearings had yet to be determined.
“Following its opening yesterday, the Royal Commission has now gone into a series of private sessions, which will help determine where and when hearings will be held,” he said.
“This process may take two to three months.”
Pressure for a royal commiss-ion into abuse within the church, in particular, has been building in recent years following a string of charges against former priests.
Bathurst’s St Stanislaus’ College was a key institution in early investigations, following accusations of a child abuse ring at the school dating from the 1960s to 1980s.
At least five men with historic links to the school have been found guilty of child sex charges, with several more still facing charges. They include:
Brian Spillane: Jailed for nine years on April 19, 2012 for indecently assaulting three girls aged between six and 17.
Spillane is also facing future court proceedings regarding alleged offences against boys. He has lodged an appeal against his conviction, which is due to be heard in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal later this month.
Kevin Francis Phillips: Jailed on April 21, 2011 for sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy at the college.
Phillips pleaded guilty to four counts of gross indecency with a child under the age of 18. Several other charges were dropped.
William Stanley Irwin: Given a suspended sentence in September 2011 after being found guilty of two counts of gross indecency with a male under the age of 18 during an overnight stay at St Stanislaus’ College in 1986.
Richard John McPhillamy: A former assistant housemaster at St Stanislaus’ College, McPhillamy was found guilty of indecently assaulting two teenage students at the school while working there in the 1980s.
Brother John Gaven: The former college bursar was found guilty of six sexual assault charges against former students. He will be sentenced in Sydney on May 6.
Cases are still running against a number of other men with historic links to the college.
