Pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale dead at 90

Australia’s worst known pedophile priest, who abused more than 70 children over three decades, died in the medical unit of Port Phillip Prison.

Gerald Ridsdale outside court with George Pell, far right, in 1993.

Australia’s worst pedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale has died.

Several sources have told the Herald Sun that the 90-year-old passed away just before 10am on Tuesday in the medical unit of Port Phillip Prison at Truganina in Melbourne’s west.

Ridsdale abused more than 70 children over three decades as a parish priest in Victoria’s west.

He had remained mostly unresponsive in recent weeks with one source telling the Herald Sun he had no longer been able to open his eyes.

Ridsdale in jail.

Documents seen by the Herald Sun show Ridsdale had been receiving treatment for severe arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, heart problems and Rhabdomyolysis – a rare, life-threatening condition where a person’s skeletal muscles rapidly break down that can lead to kidney failure.

It is understood that despite his worsening condition, Ridsdale’s relatives, including two of his sisters, had not visited the dying predator.

Dr Judy Courtin, who has fought for Ridsdale’s victims for decades, said the impact of his crimes “cannot be fathomed”.

Dr Courtin’s legal firm was pivotal in the initial High Court ruling that found the Catholic Church legally responsible for his offending.

She said there would be thousands of family members who would likely be overjoyed with Ridsdale’s death on Tuesday morning.

“The impacts of Ridsdale’s execrable crimes cannot be fathomed,” she said.

“We have estimated that Ridsdale sexually assaulted about 1600 children during his priestly career.

“Who knows how many family members and loved ones have been impacted — 10,000? 20,000?”

Dr Courtin continues to campaign for other members of the Catholic hierarchy to be held criminally responsible.

“The human damage caused by this one pedophile, and the Catholic hierarchy which enabled his sex offending to go unfettered for decades, is so vast it is immeasurable,” she said.

“Further, the fact that not one member of the Catholic hierarchy has ever been held criminally accountable for concealing and enabling Ridsdale’s child sex crimes, beggars belief and is a permanent source of anguish and grievance for victims/survivors and their families and loved ones.”

The Herald Sun revealed in March last year Ridsdale had suffered a major health decline and had been moved to St Vincent’s Hospital.

His health had begun to deteriorate “significantly” since 2021.

The notorious pedophile had been behind bars since 1994, but his abuse was so prolific that Victoria Police had continued to lay dozens of new historic sexual abuse charges as recently as April last year.

The Sexual Crimes Squad brought an additional 62 new charges against Ridsdale, bringing the total number of separate charges laid against him to just under 200.

He had been serving an almost 40-year sentence when he pleaded guilty to another raft of charges in 2023.

At a pre-sentencing hearing for those charges, which related to his abuse of a 13-year-old boy in Horsham in the 1980s, his lawyer told the court that Ridsdale may have needed to enter palliative care.

In 2022, Ridsdale’s lawyer pushed for any new prison sentences to be served concurrently with his existing term, but a judge handed him an additional 6.5 years behind bars with two years to be served on top of his 39-year sentence.

Herald Sun