Robert Patrick Claffey, 73, will serve at least 13 years for ‘shameful and protracted abuse of his authority’ over decades

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A Catholic priest who sexually abused 12 Victorian children over decades in a “shameful and protracted abuse of his authority” has been jailed for 18 years and four months – with a minimum of 13 years and four months.

Robert Patrick Claffey, 73, attacked a seven-year-old girl who was preparing for her first communion in 1969 in the first of “a truly appalling litany of offending” during which he exploited his position of trust.

Claffey went on to assault altar boys and children making preparations for religious ceremonies until 1992.

He used the excuse of providing pastoral care to one victim – whose brother had died – before he indecently assaulted the boy in his home.



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The former priest pleaded guilty to 19 charges but the Victorian county court judge Felicity Hampel noted that he had offered no apology to his victims – nor shown any remorse.

Claffey was a “paedophilic sexual predator” who groomed parents and children by visiting families, establishing trust and threatening children to keep them quiet, the judge said.

“That you were able to act with impunity for such a period speaks volumes for the power you exerted over your victims and the gross nature of the breach of trust of a priest in respect of the children of the parish,” Hampel said.

“The consequences for your victims have been profound and, for many, lifelong.”

Speaking outside court on Tuesday one of the victims said the sentence was just, fair and tantamount to a death penalty. “This is a person who subjected the children of western Victoria to unbridled and unbroken rape,” he said.

“Bob Claffey has taken a fair portion of everyone’s lives and he deserves to have a fair portion of his life taken from him.”

The victim said he was disgusted with the actions of the Melbourne and Ballarat dioceses, which he described as a “paedophile relocation program”.