Photo: Google Maps
- A former staff member of St Bede's College charged with historical sexual offending is Father Rowan Maxwell Donoghue.
- The 68-year-old faces 11 charges which relate to offending that happened between 1996 and 2000
- He was due to appear in court on March 10th, but has abandoned his fight for name suppression
A former staff member of St Bede's College in Christchurch who has been charged with historical sexual offending can now be revealed as Father Rowan Maxwell Donoghue.
The 68-year-old was due to appear in court on 10 March, but now can be named as his fight for name suppression has been abandoned.
His Lawyer, Josh Lucas said that after taking legal advice, he abandoned the appeal against name suppression today.
"Father Donoghue is relying on the justice system to deliver a fair outcome to the charges made against him, for all parties concerned.
"He asks for privacy and will not be available for further comment or information so as to ensure that a just conclusion to these proceedings can occur," a statement said.
The former staff member is facing 11 charges in total, including six counts of indecent assault on a boy between 12 and 16, three charges for indecent assault on a man/boy over 16 and two counts of unlawful sexual connection with a male over 16.
He held a number of positions of responsibility involving young people for many years, including prior to the years in which the alleged offending took place.
Police are now encouraging anyone who has information that could be relevant to the investigation to come forward.
"We understand incidents of this kind are traumatic and can be difficult to discuss with anyone, including Police.
"We wish to offer reassurance that you will be treated with dignity and respect, we have detectives dedicated to this case and we will ensure you have a safe space to report offending in confidence.
"You can make a report at your local Police station or contact Police on 105 online referencing file number: 230122/3143," a statement from police said.
Where to get help:
Sexual Violence
- NZ Police.
- Victim Support 0800 842 846.
- Rape Crisis: 0800 88 33 00.
- Rape Prevention Education.
- Empowerment Trust.
- HELP (Auckland): 09 623 1700, (Wellington): 04 801 6655.
- Safe to talk: 0800 044 334.
- Tautoko Tāne Male Survivors Aotearoa.
- Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) 022 344 0496.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
.
