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Accusations of Abuse in Institutions

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One News
January 21, 2004

Catholic brothers in Sydney court


A 56-year-old Catholic priest facing child sex charges laid in New Zealand was terminally ill, and two co-accused Brothers were very ill, a Sydney court has been told.

St John of God priest Raymond Garchow and Brothers William Lebler, 82, and Rodger Maloney, 68, are facing a total of 61 sexual assault charges against their former students, dating back almost 50 years.

The allegations relate to when the trio worked at Marylands, a school for boys with learning and intellectual disabilities, in Christchurch.

The men appeared in Sydney's Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday, where their counsel Greg Walsh said all were very ill, the youngest having throat cancer.

"Father Garchow is extremely ill," Walsh said.

"He has to take morphine every four hours."

The men were to be given a date for a hearing on an application to extradite them to New Zealand. All three oppose extradition, the court was told.

But Heather Armstrong, appearing for the NZ Director of Public Prosecutions, raised concerns that bail was granted on their last appearance under the NSW Bail Act instead of the Extradition Act, which had different requirements.

The matter was adjourned to Downing Centre Local Court on January 29 for another bail hearing.

The men's bail was continued in the meantime.