A man who was allegedly abused by his parish priest Vincent Ryan during altar boy training at The Junction in the mid 1970s confided to another musician about what he had experienced in 2016, a court has heard.
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Gionni DiGravio told Sydney District court on Wednesday that he had attended Marist Brothers, Hamilton with the man.
The pair continued to run into each other after leaving school on account of their mutual interest in Newcastle’s punk music scene in the early 1980s.
They had not seen each other for more than 30 years before they met again at a reunion party for Newcastle’s independent musicians in 2016.
Mr DiGravio testified that the man, who cannot be identified, approached him early in the evening and asked if he would be around later in the evening.
“I want to talk to you,” he said.
Mr DiGravio said he had recounted his experiences of school, including that he had attended St Joseph’s primary school, The Junction while Vince Ryan was there.
“He hadn’t spoken to anyone about it, but he needed to talk to someone,” Mr DiGravio said.
“I was sympathetic about what he told me. I said was this person involved in what happened to you? He said yes.”
Under questioning from Mr Ryan’s defence counsel, Michael King, Mr DiGravio confirmed that Brother Dominic, who also taught at Marist Brothers, had also been mentioned in the conversation.
Mr Ryan, 79, who has previously been jailed for the abuse of 35 boys between the 1970s and 1990s, is standing trial on charges of abusing a boy at The Junction in the mid 1970s and another at Cessnock in the early 1990s.
He has pleaded not guilty to five charges against the boys, including indecent assault on a person under 16 and attempted sexual intercourse on a person between 10 and 16.
The trial continues.
Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
