Paedophile Brother Stephen Farrell
Title: Paedophile Offender: Brother Stephen Farrell
Publisher: Kelso Lawyers website
Date: 20MAY2020
n the 1970s, St Alipius Primary School in Ballarat was a “nest of paedophiles”.
The school had some of Victoria’s most prolific paedophiles on their staff. Former Brother Edward Dowlan (now Ted Bales) and the school principal, Brother Robert Best, are now in prison for their crimes against children at the school.
Notorious paedophile, Gerald Ridsdale, was the school chaplain.
According to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry,“the only person who was working at the school at that time who did not offend against children was the sole female lay teacher”.
Brother Stephen Farrell flew under the radar. When children started to come forward to the police, fellow Christian Brothers provided character references to protect him.
A shame – Farrell was one of the worst paedophiles to pass through the school, leaving a long line of victims behind him.
Farrell taught at St Alipius Primary School in 1973 and 1974. He was in his early twenties. At the end of 1974, Farrell was no longer a brother but he continued to teach at Catholic Schools for several years.
In 1997, two men came forward to Victorian Detectives. When the men were aged nine and 10-years-old respectively, they were sexually abused by Farrell at St Alipius.
The 10-year-old boy was abused five times. On one occasion, the boy was recovering in the school sick bay from an injury. On other occasions, the boy was abused in his own home and on camping trips.
The younger boy was abused in 1974. He was abused in a sports storage room during class, classrooms after school, and on school trips.
Farrell pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecent assault in 1997. He was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for two years – which means he spent no time behind bars for his crimes against the boys.
In 2013, Farrell was back in court facing fresh charges. In 1974, Farrell indecently assaulted another 10-year-old boy. Farrell was teaching an art class when the boy spilled paint on his pants.
Farrell took the boy to the sick bay and indecently assaulted him.
The boy went home to his mother and told her what happened. His mother approached the Headmaster of St Patrick’s College, Brother Paul Nangle, about the abuse.
The police were not notified.
The boy – now a man – said it was the “worst and scariest” day of his life and the impact of abuse was profound.
Farrell pleaded guilty. He was given three months prison and placed on the sex offenders list for life.
For more information visit:
https://kelsolawyers.com/au/paedophile-offenders/brother-stephen-farrell/