Personal Injury

Gerald Ridsdale, a former clergy member, has been associated with serious allegations spanning several decades. Ridsdlae now faces 62 additional charges linked to historical institutional child sexual abuse, bringing attention once again to his extensive criminal record.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse cast a revealing light on a series of troubling incidents at Marist College Ashgrove, a notable private school in Brisbane, Queensland.

Over 50 years ago, a Sydney court convicted and sentenced Brother John Patrick O’Brien for his crimes against boys at St Joseph’s College.

Father Perrett’s first conviction in 1996 for child sexual abuse underscored a systemic failure to protect the innocent. With over 100 charges pending, his death in 2020 halted further legal action, leaving many victims without the closure of a trial.

Between 2003 and 2008, Cameron Tweeddale Smith, a former employee at Brighton Grammar School in Melbourne, was accused of abusing his position to harm students. These allegations, which resulted in legal charges, underline the gravity of the betrayal and the need for institutional accountability.

Koffels are seeking former students from Ballarat & Queens who may have information about historical child sexual abuse incidents between 1985 and 1995.

In cases where the perpetrator of child abuse is dead, the path to legal redress is fraught with challenges and requires a nuanced approach – but the path does exist.

Allegations have emerged regarding historical child sexual abuse at Carey Baptist Grammar School in Melbourne where multiple former students were victims of abuse and grooming by male teachers, from the mid-1970s to the early 1990s.

Christopher Saunders, who for nearly half a century was Bishop of Broome Diocese, faced allegations of sexual misconduct, which led to his voluntary resignation in 2020.