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Tag: Anglican Church

Black Collar Crime: Unnamed Anglican Priest Prayed for Forgiveness as He Raped Teenager

sexual assault

The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.

ABC News (Australia) reports that an unnamed Anglican priest has been accused of repeatedly raping a teen girl in the 1980s. While raping the girl, the priest allegedly asked God to forgive him. Here’s an excerpt from the victim’s court testimony:

The court heard the priest told her to pray hard for her dog and stare at the altar, before allegedly pulling her on to his lap.

She told the court he then said: “It’s not like you haven’t done this before” before raping her.

“I thought if I stayed really still it would be over soon. So I stayed really still.”

The court heard the priest muttered “please God forgive me” repeatedly during the alleged sexual assault.

If true, this priest is one sick puppy. I am not familiar with Australian law. Perhaps a reader who lives in Australia can explain why the priest was not named in the news report.

Bruce Gerencser