Unholy Trinity
The Hunt For The Paedophile Priest Monsignor John Day
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4.6 • 66 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
One policeman's desperate and moving account of his decades-long struggle to bring a depraved paedophile priest to justice - only to find himself obstructed by the Catholic Church and betrayed by his own police force.
Monsignor John Day died in 1978. He was arguably Australia's most prolific paedophile. His victims are counted in the hundreds. Yet when Day died, he was feted by Bishop Ronald Mulkearns as having 'faithfully fulfilled his ministry in God's name'.
The Church had been well aware of Day's activities. For years his crimes had been overlooked and tacitly endorsed. Unbelievably, Day had committed his terrible crimes with the knowledge and protection of senior members of the Victoria Police as well as the Clerk of the Courts, the most senior officer of the court in Mildura in the 1960s and '70s. Together the three men cast a shadow over the city that remains today.
Denis Ryan, a young police detective from Melbourne, had transferred to Mildura in the early 1960s. By the tacit rules of the day, priests were not to be charged for any crime short of murder in Victoria. The influence of the Church both in the Victoria Police and within the office of public prosecutions was too strong. But Ryan was a good cop, and quickly gained the trust of the people of Mildura. One by one the victims started coming forward-children who had been molested by Monsignor Day and their shocked and sometimes disbelieving parents.
Armed with a dozen or more signed statements, Ryan had sufficient evidence to lay charges. Then began his nightmare, as his every step towards bringing Day to justice was blocked by the Catholic Church and then the Victoria Police. Ryan struggled for decades to have his story and those of Day's countless victims heard, but shamefully, this will be the first time this tragic tale is made public.
This is Ryan's story, told in his own words. It is also the story of Day's victims, many of whom are alive today, and are here for the first time given a voice.
After all this time, at last the truth can now be told.
Customer Reviews
Unholy Trinity - compelling
I grew up in Ballarat and went to St Joseph's primary school and later Loreto Convent. I also went to mass at St Patrick's and St Alipius' in latter years.
Fr. Leslie Sheehan is a distant cousin and I held him in high esteem until recently when I found out he too had molested children. Les was at Mildura during Day's reign up there. I felt so sick when I read what he had been up to.
I knew a lot of the priests in Ballarat, particularly St Pats. George Pell, Gerry Ridsdale to name a few. I hate what the church has done in hiding the ferrels and now more so in reading what happened to Denis. I am pleased that he has received the apology and the recognition of all his hard work in trying to bring the scum to court. Just a shame he wasn't believed all those years ago. Good on you D nine for sticking to what you believed in.
Unholy Trinity
An honest and heartfelt telling of the simple truth that has only recently been recognised by broader society and still not being properly dealt with by the Catholic Church.
Our hero Detective Ryan
I grew up in Mildura, such a beautiful place to live. And have heard and known of a lot of these poor victims. My mother and father use to talk about the happenings of Father Day, and the horrible Detective Barrett. My heart goes out to all those children that these monsters, abused. To this day I cannot believe that no one could help detective Ryan. He was so good at his job a true police officer. The hardship he must have gone through not being able to get his story through. I hope to this day all those people that kept quiet and did not allow detective Ryan to bring this all out in the open, and it should have been allowed to come out before it did. Those people should be ashamed with themselves, allowing this to happen to so many innocent children.
These victims should be rewarded for all their suffering and hardship and detective Ryan should be given a medal for bringing this out in the open. I salute him for his bravery and courage and his dedication to the law.
As An ex Maples department store umployee the police station was near the Madden avenue police station. And for years working there you got to know a lot of the police as they cut through the back of the shop to get to Deakin avenue.
Detective Ryan my hat goes off to you. The police force lost a true dedicated officer who stood by his police prayer, when he come out of the academy. It's a pity some of the other police that graduated and were working in the time of all these allegations didn't do a good job like you.
And also all of us as residence that lived in Mildura at the time are guilty, as we didn't speak up. And let those creepy people do what they did to innocent children. It sickens me.
Ashamed
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