Catholic priest Richard John Cattell faces historical charges of indecent assault
As a Catholic priest offering to help a single-parent household with six children, Richard John Cattell was welcomed into a dysfunctional family. But his “generosity’’ was a guise that led to the indecent assault of vulnerable boy, a court has heard.
Parramatta
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As a Catholic priest offering to help a single-parent household with six children, Richard John Cattell was welcomed into a dysfunctional family. But his “generosity’’ was a guise that led to the indecent assault of an adolescent boy, a court has heard.
Cattell pleaded guilty to three counts of indecent assault on a male after historic charges from January 1974 to October 1975 were laid.
At Parramatta District Court on October 20, Cattell appeared via video from custody where he is midway through a 30-month jail sentence for child sex abuse.
The court heard how the priest indecently assaulted the victim while they were naked and assaulted him in the shower from when he was 35 and the victim was as young as 13.
During the sentence submissions, Crown prosecutor Sara Gul told the court the offender, who is now 80, abused a position of trust.
“This is terrible offending,’’ she said.
“There was no doubt you were revered as a Catholic priest. That position allowed him to be welcomed into the victim’s home. This was a home that had its challenges.
“He was one of six children.
“His father was an alcoholic and was absent most of the time. His mother needed help. The accused offered that help.
“The Crown says what was presented as kindness and generosity and humanity was really a mask for the identity of a predatory sexual offender.
“It robbed the complainant of a happy start to intimacy in his life.
“Even historical offending is not tolerated in society.’’
In a victim impact statement read to the court by the man’s partner, he said he was harmed beyond repair from when the abuse.
“It has had a profound negative impact on my whole life,’ he said.
“I have difficulty trusting people because I was scared of being taken advantage of.
“What he did affected my ability to have a normal education and childhood.’’
The victim said the profound impact on him meant he was never employed and only had one long term relationship, for whom he relied on to meet other people.’’
Defence barrister Siobhain Climo told the court many of the victim’s challenges, such as being institutionalised at Mittagong as a teen, was because of the “family dynamic”.
She did concede Cattell planned the offences.
“Of course that is inherent in the relationship that was developed between the offender and the victim’s family.
“There was also an abuse of trust.
“In my submission this offender has almost no risk of reoffending. His paedophilia disorder is in remission and that condition has been in remission for many years now.
“In my submission there is a significant degree of insight that has developed over time, which is the foundation for the statements of regret and remorse that have been expressed.
The court also heard of previous offences Cattell had committed between 1968 and 1991 including the abuse of a boy from when he was 10 to 15.
Cattell would fondle the victim’s genitalia, kiss him and sexually touch him and lewd sexual acts while they swam in a creek.
Last July, he was sentenced to 30 months in jail for historical child sex abuse. Penrith District Court heard that between 1968 and 1991 Cattell sexually assaulted five victims — aged between six and 16 — including four boys and a girl.
He was charged with three counts of indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault, one count of sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 10 and one count of aggravated indecent assault.
The offences occurred at several churches, including Our Lady of the Rosary at St Marys, and included skin-to-skin contact, fondling of the genitalia and masturbation.
Cases included assaults against an altar boy, a child seeking grief counselling and his own godson.
Cattell, who left the priesthood around 1994, had undertaken counselling which the Diocese of Parramatta funded.
Judgement was adjourned to November 2.