Former Gosford Mayor Laurie Maher’s trial to start over historic sexual abuse allegations
A “further witness” has emerged in former Gosford Mayor Laurie Maher’s trial over alleged historic child sexual abuse allegations with the trial date confirmed.
Central Coast
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Former Gosford Mayor Laurie Maher’s trial over a string of historic child sexual abuse allegations will start on August 29 as a “further witness” emerges.
Mr Maher’s matter was mentioned at the Sydney District Court before Judge Timothy Gartelmann on Wednesday with Maher excused from attending.
Mr Maher, now aged 84, has been charged with 13 historic sexual abuse offences which allegedly occurred in the late 1970s and 80s when he was a superintendent at the Mt Penang Training School, a former juvenile justice centre for boys in Kariong.
The charges include four counts of buggery, three counts of indecent assault on male and six counts of sexual assault (category 3) knowing no consent given.
The court heard that the trial was ready to start and would last 10-15 days with witnesses to give evidence “remotely”.
Mr Maher’s defence lawyer told the court he had been given access to material relating to a new complainant on Tuesday.
However the Crown Prosecutor said there would be no changes to the indictment with the new material to be used as a “further witness” in the proceedings.
“This witness is proposed to be called only as a complaint witness,” he said.
Mr Maher’s defence lawyer confirmed the “further witness” would not be used in any other respect such as to rebut character or as tendency evidence.
Mr Maher, who served as Gosford Mayor from 2007-2012, was arrested and charged in April 2020.
According to police documents, it’s alleged Mr Maher sexually abused six boys between May 1977 and December 1988 at the Kariong facility.
Police allege Mr Maher committed two acts of buggery with a boy in 1977 and indecently assaulted another male and committed an act of buggery on him between 1979 and 1980.
It’s further alleged he indecently assaulted a third boy on two occasions in 1981 before he allegedly sexually assaulted a fourth boy twice the following year.
Police allege Mr Maher also committed an act of buggery on this same boy in 1982.
Court documents showed he is also alleged to have sexually assaulted a boy at the facility on three occasions between 1985 and 1986 before he allegedly sexually assaulted another male in 1988.
He entered pleas of not guilty on October 23 2020 at Penrith Local Court.
Mr Maher founded Coast Shelter in 1992 and was the chief executive officer of the charity based organisation until his retirement in July 2018.
In 2010, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours for his services to the community through social welfare and local government.
He was arrested following a series of complaints made to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
At the time, police stated he was the ninth person to be charged as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged historical child sexual abuse.
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