A PRIEST who was abandoned by the Catholic Church was acquitted of raping a 10-year-old girl.
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As an organisation with a history of failing to properly deal with sexual assault allegations, Father Brendan Lee said it was “disappointing” that more people didn’t show their support during a troubling year where Father Neru Leuea was guilty until proven innocent.
“It was a bittersweet moment,” Father Lee said of hearing the judge’s verdict.
“In as much as it was a giant relief that he was shown to be not guilty and can now get on with his life, it is bitter because the whole thing got so much traction and the church were so willing to believe in his guilt.”
Present in the courtroom on Monday to provide moral support for a man he describes as “always bringing joy to those around him”, Father Lee said Father Leuea’s situation with the church must be reviewed.
“I just hope he can continue to have that same upbeat point of view and that he can be free to go back to doing what he does better than anyone else,” he said.
“But there are some things you never fully get over and he will still need support going forward and I hope that will come to him because he has always been such a good supporter of others.”
However, an online search now returns multiple hits relating to Father Leuea’s case that Father Lee agreed would likely shadow him into the future.
Griffith councillor Mike Neville, who has faced his own sexual assault allegations in the past, said that would likely never go away.
“When I was charged I said to my wife that we would sort this out this afternoon and it will all be OK,” he said.
“You don’t get your life back, you have to make a new life and it was not just for me, it was for my mum and dad, sisters and brothers, wife and children – all of those lives have been changed.
“The frustrating thing is that you think you can go back to life the way it was but the difficulty will be getting some stability.”
Cr Neville said he wished Father Leuea well into the future.
“But no matter where he goes or what he does in the future, this will follow him. I think he had a particular gift for empowering people, and it’s now a matter of whether he is able to grow and cope with that and move forward.”