Fr Anthony Bongiorno’s alibi for Maria James’s murder canvassed at inquest

An alibi has been raised for a pedophile priest at the time a woman was brutally murdered, but her son has allegations of ‘hush money’.

A retired priest has told a court he was aware of an alibi for a priest reportedly seen covered in blood the day of a 38-year-old mother’s murder.

Gerald Medici told the Coroners Court of Victoria on Tuesday that priest Sean O’Connell told him he shared lunch with Father Anthony Bongiorno around the time Maria James was stabbed 68 times on June 17, 1980.

Fr Medici said he was told by Fr O’Connell that the two priests were together in Coburg about 12.30pm.

He was told they drove back to Thornbury and saw police at Maria James’s bookshop on High St, where she was brutally killed about 12pm on June 17, 1980.

Gerald Medici told the Coroners Court of Victoria on Tuesday that another priest told him Fr Bongiorno had an alibi on the day of the murder. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Maria James was stabbed 68 times behind her Thornbury bookshop on June 17, 1980. Picture: Coroners Court via NCA NewsWire

On Monday, the court heard from two witnesses who say they saw Fr Bongiorno at the bookshop about 11am and separately with a lot of blood on his hands, neck and head at the presbytery where he lived that day.

A third witness said on Monday he had seen Fr Bongiorno with semi-healed cuts on his arms later that year.

Maria James’s son Adam, who has multiple disabilities, revealed to his brother in 2013 that Fr Bongiorno had abused him.

He had told his mother, who planned to confront the parish before her death, the court was told.

In his statement to the court, Mrs James’s eldest son Mark, who applied for the coronial inquest to take place, said he was aware of Fr Bongiorno’s alibi.

Father Anthony Bongiorno abused Maria James’s youngest son Adam and she planned to confront the parish, the court was told.

“(It was) provided by Fr Sean O’Connell, who had said something along the lines of Bongiorno spending the day with him,” he said.

“The media had said there was an allegation that Sean O’Connell had paid a sexual assault victim ‘hush’ money.

“This in my mind raises doubts over the credibility of this alibi.”

Both Fr Bongiorno and Fr O’Connell are dead.

Fr Bongiorno is one of six persons of interest in the inquest, along with Fr Thomas O’Keeffe, who Adam James also said had abused him; her married boyfriend that year Peco Macevski; convicted killer Peter Keogh; Telecom worker Lyle Perkins; and a man she had argued with that morning, Mario Falcucci.

The inquest into her death continues.

Originally published as Fr Anthony Bongiorno’s alibi for Maria James’s murder canvassed at inquest