A CATHOLIC priest known by locals as the "King of the Kids" because of his close links with youth groups heard in court yesterday there was a "strong likelihood" he faced a long jail term on 19 charges of sexually assaulting four teenagers in the late 1980s.
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Paul Raymond Evans, 54, of Saratoga, was told he could no longer perform his priestly duties 18 months ago after a church investigation of allegations by two of his former students, a police statement of facts to Gosford Local Court said.
The matters are alleged to have occurred at a Sydney Catholic boarding school where he was dormitory master between 1986 and 1988.
The court was told he was charged and acquitted of sexual offences involving two other teenagers in 1988, and later transferred to the Central Coast where he was known as the King of the Kids while working at Kincumber parish.
In court yesterday police prosecutor Bobbie Cullen opposed bail after telling the court Evans wrote and made phone contact with alleged victims after the earlier charges, and allegedly transferred money to one of them.
"We have concerns now, what kind of contact could occur with these alleged victims, or any other alleged victims not known yet?" Sergeant Cullen said.
"These offences clearly show a course of conduct that could clearly cause the community great concern."
A solicitor for Evans said the allegations were "vehemently denied and will be strongly defended". He was granted conditional bail.
A statement of facts tendered to Gosford magistrate Gary Cocks said the four victims were aged 14 at the time of the alleged offences.
Evans is alleged to have given some of the teenagers alcohol before taking them into his curtained-off cubicle at the end of the boys' dormitory and allegedly sexually assaulting them.
Some of the assaults are alleged to have occurred during camping trips. One boy alleged he had been sexually assaulted up to 40 times.
Another alleged victim told police the priest asked him not to say anything about "touching" him if asked.
"He asked the victim to act shocked as if to say 'Father Paul wouldn't do anything like that'," the police alleged in the statement.
The matter was adjourned to the Downing Centre in Sydney on December 7.