UPDATE: A Catholic brother accused of sexually abusing four children at Altona and Altona North has been committed to stand trial in the Melbourne County Court on Thursday, March 20.
Bernard Joseph Hartman, 74, has entered pleas of not guilty for 18 sexual assault charges.
Taskforce Sano detectives allege the offences happened at St Paul’s College at Altona North and Altona homes between 1976 and 1982.
Witness statements tendered to the Melbourne Magistrates Court, which were obtained by the Weekly on Wednesday, are from two males and two females, now aged in their mid-to-late 40s.
One man, aged 48, stated that Hartman was his year 10 and 11 biology teacher at St Paul’s in 1981. The witness turned 16 in June that year.
He described Hartman as “a Jekyl [sic] and Hyde type of person” who “could just turn like that and be real violent”.
The witness said that the abuse “happened all of the time”.
“He would be licking his chops and sweating. He was a bit of a sadist. A very vivid memory I have of him is his smell. He stunk,” the witness statement reads.
“I have no doubt that Brother Hartman used to enjoy hitting me as well as sexually abusing me. I remember how he used to grit his teeth and have a smirk on his face.
“After more than 30 years I am still suffering. My innocence has been taken by a man of god, Brother Hartman. In year 11 in 1982 I wanted to kill him.”
Another witness, aged 48, had Hartman as his biology teacher in years 9 and 10 at the same college.
He said that Hartman’s nickname was something along the lines of “Uncle Fester, (rhyming with) a child molester”.
The witness said that when he repelled Hartman after being sexually assaulted, he was threatened with expulsion and Hartman said no one would believe him.
“I said yes they will because I have never lied to my parents and Hartman would have a scandal on his hands when they belted him.
“I just shut this out of my mind until I saw The Age about 12 months ago, which had an article of what Brother Hartman did to a female at Mount St Joseph’s on the front page. When I saw the photo my blood went cold …”
A female witness, 49, alleges that Hartman sexually assaulted her from the ages of eight to 11.
Another female witness, 45, stated that Hartman befriended her family and would put her to bed at the family home in Altona.
She was “four or five” when Hartman first came over.
Hartman was arrested at Melbourne Airport after arriving from the US last September, following a change in extradition laws between Australia and the US.
He is charged with 14 counts of indecent assault, two counts of gross indecency with a girl under 16 and two counts of assault.
