A Catholic Church official wants to change his evidence which contributed to the national child sex abuse inquiry raising questions about the honesty of a former principal of a Marist College.
In an unexpected return to the witness box at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Michael Salmon, the director of the Catholic Church's Professional Standards Office in NSW/ACT has asked for permission to submit a revised statement.
Mr Salmon gave evidence on Wednesday about the Towards Healing process as it applied to the case of DK - a man who had been abused by Marist brothers when he was at boarding in St Augustine's College in Cairns from 1976.
As facilitator of that mediation session between the church and DK in 2010, Mr Salmon had told the commission that conversations DK had with Brother Gerald Burns who was principal at the school in the 80s covered what Br Burns and another brother knew of inappropriate behaviour against boys by a Brother Ross Murrin.
In his evidence on Thursday Br Burns said DK never asked him about offences against other boys but only about his own situation.
He also told the commission he knew of other complaints about Murrin but never mentioned them at the meeting with DK because he was never asked.
Mr Salmon on Friday told the commission he was revising his statement to assist the commission, after wracking his brains in the wake of questions by lawyers representing the church as to whether he had any further recollection of what was said at the mediation session.
The commission chair Justice Peter McClellan asked if he was told by his lawyers that there was an issue as to whether Brother Burns had told the truth to DK.
Mr Salmon: "Not in those terms".
He said the query was about whether the response to DK by Br Burns had been about other boys not just DK.
DK has said in his statement that Br Burns told him in mediation he had "'no idea Murrin was a risk'".
Mr Salmon said that he had wracked his brains overnight for further recollections of whether the discussion had been about just DK or other students, and on reflection the discussion was all about DK.
Justice McClellan reminded him that he had asked him twice during his original evidence about the context of the conversation between DK and the brothers.
"I put it to you it was beyond DK and you said `Yes Yes'".
He also pointed out that his first statement to the commission in November 2013 was consistent with DK's evidence.
In evidence on Wednesday Mr Salmon had told the commission that in his role as facilitator he had the interest of the victims at heart.
Justice McClellan pointed out that as facilitator he knew that DK was concerned about what had been done to protect other boys from Murrin.
Share
