Abuse royal commission: Priest John Day caught with prostitutes in car

Police officer who stopped car with priest and prostitutes inside tells commission priests could get away with anything.

The former police officer said Monsignor John Day, pictured, could get away with anything “short of murder”.

A former police officer has told of conspiracy between police and a priest who could get away with anything “short of murder” including being caught inebriated with prostitutes and molesting children.

Denis Ryan told the child sex abuse royal commission in 1952 he was working the nightshift in St Kilda, in Melbourne, when he and his fellow officers noticed an American car driving haphazardly along the road.

He said inside the car was a well-known prostitute, another prostitute and a priest with his pants around his ankles.

An empty sherry bottle was on the floor.

Former police officer Denis Ryan, who pursued Day, with a picture of himself.

Mr Ryan said the common law probably of the police force at the time was not to charge a priest “short of murder” and the priest, who was Monsignor John Day, was released after the police called the Cathedral and two other priests collected him.

Mr Ryan told the commission he was moved to Mildura in 1962 where he ran into Day as the local priest.

He said in 1971 he received a call from the principal of St Joseph’s College and was told by a nun about alleged sexual abuse of a student by Day.

He interviewed the student and was told the name of another victim.

“It wasn’t a difficult inquiry, each victim gave me another name so it was like stepping stones,” he said.

Mr Ryan said he was stymied from further investigating by senior police officers including Superintendents Jack McPartland and Superintendent John (Jack) O’Connor.

He resigned in 1972.

Former Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police Mick Miller told the commission his predecessor Chief Commissioner Reg Jackson was the architect of Victoria Police’s response to Mr Ryan’s investigations into Day and Mr Ryan should be compensated.

“It couldn’t have proceeded in the manner it did without his knowledge and consent,” he said.

“Everybody down the chain of command, including Superintendent McPartland, Inspector Irwin, Superintendent Duffy and Assistant Commissioner Crowley appears to have fallen into line.

“In my opinion, this points to Reg Jackson as the only one who could have produced and achieved that particular outcome.”

Mr Jackson was the 15th Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police.

Mr Miller said he thought Mr Ryan should be compensated by Victoria Police for what he has gone through and for his premature resignation.

“The driving force behind his crusade was the desire to achieve justice for the victims of a hypocritical paedophile priest.”

Mr Miller said while he was in the Victoria Police, he had heard stories about Catholic clergy being let off by Victoria Police in investigations not related to child sexual abuse.

“I had no personal knowledge of this, however, and I did not know of the existence of a ‘Catholic mafia’ or a group of Catholic police officer who protected priests in Victoria while I was there,” he said.

Current Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said Victoria Police would be making a formal apology to Mr Ryan.

Read an extract from Unholy Trinity: the hunt for the paedophile priest Monsignor John Day, by Denis Ryan and Peter Hoysted, here.