Father John Kevin O’Donnell (known as Father Kevin O’Donnell) was a Parish Priest who abused children is his care in his parish and at Sacred Heart Primary School in Oakleigh.
O’Donnell was a prolific abuser within his parish and at the primary school. In 2014, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard that O’Donnell’s abusing accounted for almost a fifth (19 per cent) of all compensation paid by the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne through the Melbourne Response scheme.
Other complaints about O’Donnell have been settled outside the scheme – including for clients of Rightside Legal.
O’Donnell was convicted of sexually abusing children and sent to jail for his crimes. He died in 1997, months after his release from prison.
Two senior figures in the Catholic Church knew as far back as 1958 that O’Donnell had been accused of sexual assault by a boy.
In the 1980s reports went as high up as the archbishop of Melbourne. Yet sadly, leaders failed to remove the priest from his parish and regular contact with children.
This enabled him to go on to continue his abuse.
If you have any further information or you want legal advice in relation to Father O’Donnell, please call 1300765702 or complete the confidential enquiry form below.
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