Case 34
The Catholic Mafia
*** Warning: This case involves a child victim ***
In the early 1960s, Victorian Detective Denis Ryan was transferred from Melbourne to the regional town of Mildura where he soon ran into a familiar face – local priest, Father John Day. The two had encountered one another before during a less than savoury incident in St Kilda several years prior.
Detective Ryan always felt something was off about Father Day. His suspicions were confirmed after several complaints were made that the priest had sexually abused young children. But when Detective Ryan reported the abuse to his superiors, many of whom were Catholic, he was told to drop the investigation. What exactly were they trying to hide?
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Anonymous Host
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
RESOURCES
BOOKS:
Unholy Trinity – Book by Dennis Ryan
ARTICLES:
They destroyed Denis Ryan’s police career. Now they admit he was right all along – The Sydney Morning Herald
Police to apologise to detective over cover-up of child abuse investigation – The Age Victoria