Choirboy Sues Church for $2m Over Sexual Abuse

The Weekend Australian/March 1, 2003
By Vanessa Walker and Natalie O'Brien

Sydney, Australia -- The Catholic Church will on Monday be served with legal papers initiating a $2 million lawsuit after allegations it ignored violent bullying at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral College and sexual abuse within the grounds of St Mary's Cathedral.

The civil case will be filed on behalf of Dan Buckley, a 32-year-old former choirboy who successfully prosecuted church employee and pedophile David O'Grady for sexually abusing him 21 years ago.

The legal action comes as a second choirboy has backed allegations that the sacked St Mary's choirmaster David Russell witnessed a sexual assault on Mr Buckley and himself by O'Grady. Mr Russell was sacked on January 31 after a church inquiry.

The boy, now a 32-year-old policeman, has spoken publicly for the first time to "Inquirer" revealing he and Mr Buckley were the two choirboys being assaulted in the incident at Mr Russell's home in the early 1980s.