Father Charles Barnett

Father Charles Alfred Barnett was a member of Vincentian Fathers from approximately 1975 to 2001. He was ordained into the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide in 1970 and was incorporated to the Vincentian Fathers in 1975 after professing his final vows for the Order that year. Between 1971 and 1977, Father Barnett taught at St Stanislaus College in Bathurst, New South Wales and also undertook parish duties at parishes in Queensland and Victoria, studied overseas and was a staff member of a Catholic institution in South Australia. Between February 1978 and December 1983, Father Barnett was loaned to the Diocese of Port Pirie by the Vincentian Fathers. He was a priest in various parishes in the Diocese of Port Pirie from February 1978 to February 1979 and again from January 1980 to December 1983. Royal Commission records show that CCI (Catholic Church Insurance) had determined that the Diocese of Port Pirie had knowledge of Father Charles Barnett’s propensity to offend by 17 March 1983, based on a complaint made by a family that was reported to Bishop Peter De Campo (Bishop of the Diocese of Port Pirie between late 1980 to 1988) by another priest of the Diocese.

Between January 1984 to January 1986, Father Barnett was a chaplain in the Royal Australian as he was on loan to the Catholic Military Ordinariate of Australia from the Vincentian Fathers. Father Barnett continued with the Vincentian Fathers between 1986 and 1992, including as a priest on loan to the Diocese of Parramatta, as a manager at a Catholic institution in New South Wales, as a chaplain in the Australian Army, and undertaking supply work at a parish in Queensland. Royal Commission records indicate that one person made a claim to the Vincentian Fathers in 2001 that he was sexually abused by Father Barnett between 1989 and 1993, and another person made a claim to the Order in 2010 that he was sexually abused by Father Barnett in 1993 and 1994. The Royal Commission has also indicated that Father Barnett was made to undertake counselling by the Vincentian Father’s at Centacare in Brisbane at the request of Father Mannix (Provincial of the Vincentian Fathers at the time). Consequently, a Centacare counsellor informed Father Mannix that Father Barnett had suggested to him that he may had sexually abused up to 50 boys in the past.

In October 1995, Father Barnett fled to Indonesia. In 1997, a canonical application was made for his dismissal, which was granted in 2001. In 20 February 2008, Father Barnett was arrested in Djakarta and extradited back to Australia for trial in 2009. He was subsequently convicted in 2010 after pleading guilty to five offences relating to the sexual abuse of four victims between 1977 and 1994. The offences included three counts of indecent assault and two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse. He was sentenced to 6 and 1/2 years jail backdated to 14 February 2009 with a four year non-parole period. In 2018,

In 2018, Father Barnett faced further charges in South Australia in relation to offences committed during his time as a priest in Port Pirie. The charges included the indecent assault of two children and the persistent sexual exploitation of another child. Father Barnett pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to a total of 28 months jail with a minimum of 14 months before becoming eligible for parole. The Court, however, allowed Father Barnett this time to serve his 14 months in home detention taking into consideration his previous jail time.

We invite former victims of Father Charles Barnet to contact us with what information they may have, and we will confidentially explain what options are available to help with these cases. Moody Law has in the past and is still representing clients who have made allegations against members of the Vincentian Fathers.

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