‘Anyone who attended that church should question their children’
BROKE PLEDGE TO STOP THE ABUSE CYCLE CONTINUING
Priest admits abuse

  Father Adrian John Van Klooster, who until last year worked from the Leschenault Public Church in the Bunbury Diocese, pleaded guilty in the District Court in Bunbury yesterday to 12 counts of indecently dealing with children under the age of 13.
  He also pleaded guilty to four counts of indecently recording children under the age of 13 and one of possessing child pornography. He was remanded in custody to appear in the same court on May 12 for sentencing.
  The court heard Van Klooster, 60, who The West Australian understands had worked in the Bunbury diocese for more than 20 years, committed the offences during two weekends in February last year when two boys and three girls, ranging in age from six to 12, were entrusted to his care overnight by their mothers.
  The mothers are two sisters with whom Van Klooster became close friends after the loss of their mother.
 

[PICTURE of policeman holding a man in a light-grey suit, balding head, and glasses, hand held up to temple and top of head] In custody: Catholic priest Father Adrian Van Klooster is pictured last year after his arrest on child abuse charges. He pleaded guilty in the District Court in Bunbury yesterday to 17 counts of child sex offences. He will reappear in May for sentencing. PICTURE: JEFF HENDERSON

In court, Van Klooster admitted to encouraging one or more of the children to slide naked in shampoo and oil on his kitchen floor and recording this on digital camera, allowing one of the children to touch his genitals, encouraging the children to photocopy their genitals while he operated the photocopying machine and allowing a child to wash him on his genitals.
  He also pleaded guilty to possessing 17 images of child pornography at his home.
  Defence lawyer Robert Mazza expressed his client's sorrow, shame and regret for his actions to the court, which was attended by the mothers of the victims and supporters.
  Outside court, Mr Mazza said 12 other related charges were dropped by the prosecution because to argue them would require the victims to testify in court.
  Bunbury diocese Bishop Gerard Holohan issued a statement expressing shock and sorrow for the victims and their families.
  Bishop Holohan said the Church, including other dioceses where Van Klooster had worked, had never heard the slightest hint of Van Klooster's paedophile tendencies until his arrest on February 21 last year.
  "My hope is that people will be fair-minded and not make negative judgments about the thousands of faithful priests because of these events," Bishop Holohan said.

Our trust was betrayed: mother

[Picture of two women comforting each other by hugging] Ordeal: The mother outside Bunbury court yesterday.

UNTIL last year, the mother of three child victims of Adrian Van Klooster trusted him so much she told him of the sexual abuse she herself had experienced as a child.
  She also told him that her late mother and brother had been sexually abused.
  In a victim impact statement, a copy of which she provided to The West Australian, she wrote: "Adrian knew that my greatest fear was that my own children would become victims and constantly reassured me that I could break this cycle. When Adrian took it upon himself to abuse my children he already knew the lifelong effect that this would have on them, having witnessed it in me."
  Outside court yesterday, the woman, who cannot be named to protect her children, said she was grateful for support of family and friends and relieved that community members who had supported Van Klooster after he was charged would now realise that he was a paedophile.

‘Now we know we will never let ourselves love another person in this way again’

  "This man does not wake up after 59 years and decide, 'I am going to abuse these children'," she said. "Anyone who attended that church should question their children. I hope he gets put behind bars for a long time and I also hope that he gets the help that he needs."
  In the impact statement, the woman wrote that since Van Klooster's abuse, her children had become distrusting and disturbed. The younger children showed abnormal sexualised behaviour and frequently experienced nightmares, acted uncontrollably or sobbed for no reason.
  "I had frequently told my children that Father A is God's right-hand man," the woman wrote. "We all loved, trusted and believed in God and Father Adrian with all of our hearts; maybe too much. But now my children tell me that God can't really exist or doesn't really love them because he has let this happen.
  "Now we know we will never let ourselves love another person in this way again."