Ross Murrin: Former Marist brother sex offender avoids jail
A judge has deemed it would be unfair to jail a former Marist brother who subjected a boy to a horrifying sex assault in 1985 as he is now “largely rehabilitated”. A court heard the man, who has a history of offending, sexually assaulted the boy as he sat crying on his bed.
Wentworth Courier
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A judge has determined that it would be “unfair” to return former Marist brother Ross Francis Murrin to prison for a charge of sexual touching against a pupil, which occurred in 1985.
A judge has determined that it would be “unfair” to return former Marist brother Ross Francis Murrin to prison for a charge of sexual touching against a pupil, which occurred in 1985.
Judge Christopher O’Brien found that Murrin, who resides in Darling Point with his partner, is “largely rehabilitated”, having not committed an offence for some 35 years.
Sending him to prison might defect that, Judge O'Brien contended in the Downing Centre District Court today.
Murrin, 65, who remained in the Marist order until 2016, has served a total of seven years in prison since 2008 for sexual assault charges including six counts of homosexual intercourse by a teacher on a pupil.
Judge O’Brien told the court over that time his “conduct has been firmly, loudly and repeatedly denounced”.
The first complaints against Murrin were made in 2002, when he was removed from a teaching role and posted in Rome for four years in 2003.
He sentenced Murrin to a “merciful and exceptional” three year Community Corrections Order.
As such, he will be able to care for his 94-year-old father in the final years of his life.
At the time of offending, Murrin was a dormitory master at St Gregory College in Campbelltown, where he was employed from 1985 to 1987.
He was around 30 years old and his victim was about 14.
Under the guise of comforting the student, who was crying on his bed alone after receiving the cane from a Marist brother for being late, he performed a sex act on the child for a short period.
Murrin himself grew up in the eastern suburbs of Sydney and attended the Marist school in Randwick.
Murrin was abused by an older relative for a portion of his childhood, which Judge O’Brien said “reduces (his) moral culpability”.
The court heard that he entered the student’s room and sat on the edge of the bed.
He rubbed the victim’s back and said “You’ll be alright, don’t worry about it.”
Murrin then began rubbing the victim’s thighs with both hands before he caressed the victim’s penis on the outside of his shorts.
Again he told the victim: “It’s alright”.
The victim froze, and was frightened and scared, the court heard.
He soon put his hand into the victim’s underpants and began to rub him for about 45 seconds.
The victim told him to stop and he did, leaving the room.
Murrin pleaded guilty to the offence at the earliest opportunity.
In a sentencing assessment report, Murrin is noted as saying he pleaded guilty to an offence that didn’t occur.
As part of his sentence, Judge O’Brien ordered Murrin to 300 hours of community service, continuing psychologist consultations and supervision by a community corrections officer.
The court heard the victim decided to come forward sometime after speaking with a former schoolmate around 2012.
The charges were withdrawn in 2018 and then reinstated again in 2019 due to a legal statute dated from 1985, which determined a prosecution period of 12 months of the offence if the complainant was aged between 14 and 16.
This statute was abolished in late 2018.
In 2008, he was sentenced to three years and three months for 17 counts of indecent assault.
In 2010, while serving that sentence, he was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison for six counts of homosexual intercourse by a teacher on a pupil, one count of attempted homosexual intercourse by a teacher on a pupil, and a single count of assault with indecency.