A RETIRED Catholic primary school teacher has entered guilty pleas to sexually abusing girls aged seven and eight in the 1970s.
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Alois Schmitz, 84, of Hamilton, assaulted three young girls and committed acts of indecency at a Hunter Catholic primary school.
He will appear in Newcastle District Court for a sentencing hearing in May after entering guilty pleas to eight charges against the children.
The former West Wallsend Catholic primary school teacher and Hamilton parishioner taught at a number of Hunter Catholic schools in the 1970s and 1980s, including St Josephs at Belmont, St Josephs at West Wallsend, St Therese at New Lambton and St Pius at Windale.
He was arrested at his Hamilton home in March, 2018 and charged by Lake Macquarie Strike Force Georgiana police with assistance from Newcastle detectives after women reported crimes committed against them in junior primary.
Schmitz entered guilty pleas in a short hearing before Judge Roy Ellis at Newcastle in February, and remains on bail until the sentencing.
Catholic church newsletters show Schmitz was an active participant in inner-Newcastle church activities, including as a communion server only weeks before he was charged with the historical child sex offences.
Schmitz also worked as a Mater hospital volunteer in the past although his recent health has been compromised. A March, 2016 parish newsletter asked parishioners to include Schmitz in their prayers for the sick.
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