Christchurch Police have laid 47 charges against three St John of God Brothers who now reside in NSW. The charges are the result of a lengthy investigation focusing on historical sexual abuse complaints made by 39 former pupils of Marylands Residential School in Christchurch and date back as far as 1955.
Warrants to arrest the three Brothers have been issued by the Christchurch District Court. The Police are endeavouring to have the three Brothers who are aged 56, 67 and 81 years extradited to New Zealand to face the charges.
The Arrest Warrants and other relevant documentation will be forwarded through the New Zealand Police Liaison Officer based in Sydney to the Australian Federal Police for further action.
Two former Brothers of the St John of God Order who had worked at Marylands Residential School are currently before the courts on multiple charges relating to sexual abuse at the school. They have been remanded for separate deposition hearings in Christchurch in February 2004.
Because these matters are now before the courts police are unable to make further comment.
Detective Sergeant Earle BORRELL