Former Gosford Mayor and ‘hero to the homeless’ Laurie Maher charged with historic child sex abuse
He was once one of the Central Coast’s most influential but now Laurie Maher faces several charges of sexually abusing boys at a school in the 1970s and 80s.
Central Coast
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The former mayor of Gosford has faced court charged with numerous counts of the sexual abuse of boys.
Laurie Maher, who was also CEO of the charity Coast Shelter, has been charged with four counts of buggery, three counts of indecent assault on a male and six counts of sexual assault knowing no consent was given.
The charges relate to when the now 81-year-old was a superintendent at the Mt Penang Training School, near Gosford, in the late 1970s and the 1980s.
Police alleged in court Maher sexually abused six boys between 1977 and 1988.
When the matter appeared in Penrith Local Court on Monday, Maher’s legal team attempted to suppress his name.
In arguing for the suppression, his barrister Paul Rossa claimed Maher would suffer “undue embarrassment and distress” due to the high level of media interest in the case.
Citing affidavits tendered to the court, Mr Rossa said Maher’s “very high profile”, combined with the professional roles of his six children in the NSW Police Force, child protection and youth services, made the case “exceptional”.
He said naming Maher would potentially hinder the work of his children and potentially damage the reputation of the Coast Shelter, which he founded in 1992.
“We say he has a very high profile. He was the mayor of Gosford for some years,” Mr Rossa said.
“This is someone your Honour would not find in one of 1000 cases of this nature.”
Affidavits from Mr Maher’s wife, children and the Coast Shelter were submitted to the court in support of Maher’s “good character” and the potential for harm if he were named.
News Corp and the Director of Public Prosecutions opposed the suppression order.
News Corp barrister Dauid Sibtain addressed the court on Monday describing the evidence provided by the defence in seeking the order as “hopelessly inadequate”.
“Embarrassment to a party or a witness has never been grounds for the granting of a suppression order.”
He added: “Concerns about the reputation of a charity has never been the basis for the granting of a non-publication order.
“A fundamental consideration must be given to open justice.”
Magistrate Margaret McGlynn reserved her judgment and returned on Tuesday to dismiss the suppression order.
She stated she did not find that reporting Maher’s name in the media would compromise the professional work of his children.
“The distress or embarrassment is of the kind usually expected when criminal charges are laid,” Magistrate McGlynn said.
“The charges arise from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse … there is high public interest in the outcome and transparency of these types of
proceedings.”
The matter will return to Penrith Local Court in June.
Maher was elected to Gosford City Council in 2004 and was mayor in 2007 until 2012.
In 2010 he was awarded with an Order of Australia for his service to the community through social welfare and local government.
He is the ninth person charged as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged historical child abuse.
Strike Force Eckersley was established by the Nepean Police Area Command in late 2016 following a series of complaints made to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Maher remains on bail.