Convicted paedophile priest John Joseph Farrell was sentenced on Monday at the Sydney District Court to a maximum of 29 years in prison, and will serve a minimum of 18 years.
The 62-year-old, who was living in Harden at the time of his arrest, received the sentence from Judge Peter Zahra for 62 historic child sex offences, with a further 17 offences taken into account.
Between 1979 and 1988, Farrell preyed on three girls and nine boys during his time in Moree and Tamworth. Two of his victims from that time committed suicide, in 2001 and 2007.
According to the organisation, Broken Rites Australia, the Catholic Church knew about the abuses after Farrell admitted to them in 1992. A document produced by the Church in regard to the incidents stated that “one or some of the boys involved may bring criminal charges against [John Farrell] with subsequent grave harm to the priesthood and the Church.”
The New South Wales Police Force’s Strike Force Glenroe, formed to investigate such abuses, charged him in 2012. He was referred to as ‘Father F’, until a name suppression order was lifted in February 2016.
Farrell will not be eligible for parole until he is 80, and will be 91 upon release if he completes his sentence in full.