In her final submissions to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Counsel Assisting Gail Furness presented evidence former Ballarat Bishop Ronald Mulkearns orchestrated the move of known paedophile priest BPB back into a parish despite knowledge of his sexual misconduct.  

She also submitted former Catholic priest-psychologist Dan Torpy agreed the priest could return to a parish where he later continued to sexually abuse children, after relying on his assurances he would not re-offend.

Mr Torpy was a Catholic priest and qualified psychologist when he began treating notorious Ballarat diocese paedophile priests, including BPB and Paul David Ryan, during the 1980’s and 1990s.  

Mr Torpy submitted his own statement in May this year saying he did not know about BPB’s offending until years after treating him. 

But Ms Furness rejected Mr Torpy’s evidence and told the inquiry there were contradictions between Mr Torpy’s evidence in his written statement and an earlier private hearing to the commission.

“It is submitted that at some time in 1989 and early 1990 in counselling BPB disclosed to Mr Torpy that he had sexually abuse a child,” Ms Furness said. “It is submitted that, knowing BPB had sexually abused a child, Mr Torpy advised Bishop Mulkearns that BPB could be appointed to a parish as assistant priest.”

However, she said documents tendered to the commission, including a 1989 letter in which Mr Torpy told Bishop Mulkearns he had concerns about BPB that “demanded caution” supported the notion he knew about his offending but advised he could be relocated as assistant priest to a quieter parish.   

Mr Torpy told the inquiry his “attitude and understanding” at the time he first treated paedophile priest BPB in 1989 was different to what is today. He said his role was not as a psychologist but rather to provide “spiritual and mental welfare” to priests forward on by Bishop Mulkearns. 

He told the commission he was “naive” to rely on BPB’s assurances he would not re-offend and advise Bishop Mulkearns he was fit to return to parish work.

Mr Torpy also gave evidence he had no knowledge of sexual abuse allegations against disgraced paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale until it was brought to trail in the early 1990s.

However, this evidence was rejected by Ms Furness who submitted Mr Torpy was made aware of rumours of Ridsdale’s offending  while he was working at a parish in Edenhope in 1981. 

The inquiry heard Mr Torpy had been told by another priest Ridsdale was asked to leave the Edenhope parish due to allegations of abusing children.

However, Mr Torpy told the inquiry he was unaware the abuse was of a sexual nature. Mr Torpy was first appointed as a second assistant priest in 1971 to prolific paedophile Monsignor John Day at Sacred Heart in Mildura. 

Day left the parish in 1972.

Mr Torpy told the commission he withheld the true reasons of Day’s departure from parishioners because he was instructed to do so by Bishop Mulkearns.

He said he was a “young and inexperienced” priest and followed instructions given by senior Catholic clergy without question.

Mr Torpy was excused from giving evidence to the inquiry in person earlier this year after providing medical evidence of ill health.