Father Vincent Gerard Ryan

Father Vincent Gerard Ryan is a convicted child sex offender and Catholic priest who operated in the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.  From 1971 he was an assistant priest in the Maitland-Newcastle diocese, first being based at the St John the Baptist parish in Maitland and then in a Newcastle suburban parish in 1974 -75. Catholic Church leaders knowingly protected Father Vincent Gerard, with his superiors in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle in New South Wales, aware he was sexually assaulting boys in his parishes and moved him to Melbourne. Detectives discovered the cover up when they were investigating Ryan in 1995 for sex-crimes committed over 20 years. Ryan plead guilty to multiple offences against young boys, involving sexual intercourse with anal and oral penetration, and multiple other charges of indecent assault .  By 1997 Ryan had been sentenced to 16 years in jail with a minimum non-parole period of 11 years. Further victims came forth on 27 April 2016, when they spoke to the police, and Ryan plead guilty to further allegations.  He was given a suspended sentence on 14 October 2016 because of his previous jail time.  However, on 22 May 2019 he was sentenced to further jail time regarding the sexual abuse of two altar boys, aged 10 and 12, occurring in the 1970’s and 1990’s.

Moody Law has represented and is still representing clients who were sexually abused within the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle at various institutions. We invite victims of Father Vincent Gerard Ryan to contact us to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

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