An Australian judge awarded a man from the State of Victoria a compensation of 230 thousand Australian dollars (about 145 thousand euros) from the Catholic Church for sexual abuse suffered by a pedophile priest when he was five years old, 50 years ago.
The man had sued the Church when the State Supreme Court ruled that the institution was responsible - albeit indirectly (vicarious liability) - for the sexual abuse suffered.
In a verdict considered the first of its kind in the country, Judge John Forrest decided on compensation for pain and suffering, for aggravated damages and for future medical expenses.
Father Bryan Coffey was sentenced in 1999 to three years in prison with suspended sentence for multiple sexual assaults against other children and died in 2013.
The man had rarely mentioned childhood abuse over the years until he saw an ad from a law firm in a local newspaper that awakened his memory, the judge explained. "When the plaintiff read the announcement, the memories of the assaults were rekindled and have since contributed to depression and anxiety," Forrest said in ordering the compensation.
(Unioneonline / vl)
