Sunshine vicar accused of sending child porn
A SUNSHINE vicar and part-time actor has fronted a Melbourne court charged with transmitting child pornography.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A SUNSHINE vicar and part-time actor has fronted a Melbourne court charged with child porn offences.
Father Philip John Murphy, 52, faces five charges of transmitting child pornography using a carriage service and five charges of using a carriage service to cause offence.
Eight of the offences were allegedly committed last year in December around Christmas time, while the remaining two were allegedly carried out in February of this year.
He was arrested and released on bail yesterday after police executed warrants at the Holy Apostles Anglican Church in Sunshine and at another Sunshine West address.
The arrest came following a 12-month investigation into online child exploitation.
Magistrate Peter Reardon extended Mr Murphy’s bail with a condition that he would not use any social media, dating, pornography or file-sharing websites.
However, an exception was made for messaging service WhatsApp as Mr Murphy has many friends living overseas he communicates with.
According the church’s website, Father Murphy has written for Spectator Australia and the Crikey website and “in his spare time he acts and does occasional work on TV and film”.
He was raised and educated in Hong Kong and has worked in both rural Victoria and Melbourne, the website says.
It also says he was formerly the CEO of a homelessness agency, and a speech writer for a governor-general.
Wearing sunglasses and his coat collar pulled up, Father Murphy made no comment outside the court.
He will face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court again on October 27 for a committal mention.