Catholic priest John Patrick Casey goes on trial accused of historic child sex crimes

A Catholic priest appeared in Lismore District Court to face historic child sex abuse allegations.

Warning: This story contains graphic details of sexual abuse.

John Patrick Casey has pleaded not guilty to three counts of sexual assault on a person under 16 years of age.

The charges relate to an alleged incident that took place in 1982 at Father Casey’s home in Mallanganee in northern New South Wales.

Father Casey was the parish priest in Mallanganee from 1981-1988.

In her opening statement, the Crown prosecutor told the jury of seven women and five men that the case against the 76-year-old would rely on photos and church records, but primarily on evidence given by the complainant and the complainant’s friend, who was also a teenager at the time.

She told the court that Casey’s father took the boys on day trips, weekends and sleepovers at his home, often allowing them to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes.

It is alleged that on one such occasion Father Casey offered the appellant grilled lamb chops for dinner, gave him alcohol and lit a fire before massaging his shoulders.

It is alleged that the priest then performed an indecent massage on the 14-year-old complainant, using his finger or thumb to penetrate the boy’s anus.

The court heard that the applicant was afraid to stay overnight at the priest’s house and never returned.

He never spoke to his friend about what allegedly happened to him, and he did not report to the police until he was 52 years old.

Defense lawyer Jason Watts told the jury his client denied any indecent behavior.

Watts told the jury he would argue the appellant and his friend were unreliable witnesses.

He said a jury would have to consider “the credibility of what someone says now about what happened to them as teenagers.”

The court was closed this afternoon as the appellant gave evidence and Casey’s father sat in the dock in the same courtroom.

The case is scheduled to last until Friday.