‘Oh well, I’ll leave you to it then’
Choirboy sues church for $2m over sexual abuse

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.
   "He (Mr Russell) allowed it to happen," he said. "As a police officer I often tell people to come forward and say what they know. I thought I should do the same."
   Mr Russell has denied the claim. "If O'Grady committed offences in my house, they were certainly in my absence, I was totally unaware of such events," he said.
   "I have never dealt improperly with anyone in my charge, nor condoned such behaviour."
   This month [February was meant] Mr Russell launched a wrongful dismissal case against the church in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.
   Mr Buckley will allege that after being abused by O'Grady, a lodger at the home of Mr Russell in 1982, he was bullied and harassed by his schoolmates to the point where he was hospitalised with a broken nose. On a separate occasion he was knocked unconscious.
   According to Mr Buckley's lawyer, despite knowing of the attacks neither incident was investigated by the school or reported to authorities.
   The case will allege the trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Archdiocese of Sydney were negligent in their duty of care to Mr Buckley -- who has been diagnosed with psychiatric problems.
   Mr Buckley will also allege that while O'Grady was lodging with Mr Russell in 1982, Mr Russell opened a door and saw a partially clothed O'Grady sexually assaulting two naked boys, one of whom was Dan Buckley. He will allege that Mr Russell closed the door, saying, "Oh well, I'll leave you to it then." His master's voices -- Inquirer, Page 29