A CONVICTED pedophile priest who sexually abused a student in the late 1970s continues to work, despite allegations of abuse in Newcastle and Sydney in the 1980s and 1990s, and Catholic Church assurances to one victim that it would "deal with" the issue.
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"They've moved him around as they've done in so many other cases and swept it under the carpet," said a man in his 40s who was sexually abused at St Pius X College, Adamstown, in the late 1970s.
"I've made three or four attempts to get some sort of closure on this when we first raised it 28 years ago, when I told the police, when it went to court and after I heard he was still working.
"It's reliving the whole experience over and over again that just grinds away at your soul."
Maitland-Newcastle diocese priest and teacher John Sidney Denham, 63, was moved from St Pius X College in the late 1970s after the school said it would "deal with" allegations raised by the man, then 14, and his mother.
But Denham went on to be charged with "being a teacher and having homosexual intercourse with a male aged 10 to 18" in 1996 while working at a Sydney Catholic boys' college.
Court records list the matter as "finalised" the following year, although The Herald understands Denham was acquitted of the charge.
The Herald has been told church representatives are aware of a number of other allegations of sexual misconduct at other positions where Denham worked.
The Newcastle man went to police in 1997 to report the abuse against him after the birth of his own children.
"You occupy yourself with other things in your life until you reach a point where you think, if I don't do anything, and something happens to your children or someone else's children, you could have done something to prevent it," he said.
Denham was charged with two counts of indecent assault in 1999, was found guilty in 2000 and given a two-year suspended sentence.
He now works at a library in Sydney run by the church.
The Newcastle man was advised Denham has also been working "on supply", as a relieving priest on weekends, which led him to complain to the church.
"It was a matter of saying 'Get rid of him now'."
The man was advised there were "things happening behind the scenes" which would have an outcome in the next few weeks.
A spokesman for Broken Rites, a group monitoring church-related sexual abuse cases, said it received calls from legal firms whose clients were considering civil action against the Maitland-Newcastle diocese in relation to Denham.
Towards Healing manager Helen Keevers, speaking on behalf of Newcastle Bishop Michael Malone, said the diocese had taken steps in relation to Denham as part of its review of "risks" following other high profile cases against priests.
"I can assure you I'm feeling confident now that risks [relating to Denham having contact with children] have been thoroughly contained," Ms Keevers said.
