UPDATE: An Altona woman has spoken about facing her abuser in court after a 16-year battle to have the Catholic brother extradited from the US.
Bernard Joseph Hartman, a former teacher at St Paul’s College in Altona North, faced court in relation to historical sexual abuse complaints made against him by two former students at the boys’ college and two women whose brothers attended the school.
On April 15, Hartman, 75, pleaded guilty in the County Court to four counts of indecent assault, including vaginal penetration, of two girls aged between eight and 11 between 1973 and 1979.
On May 1 a jury found Hartman guilty of one count of indecent assault and two of common law assault against a man, now 49, who was his student in years 10 and 11 in 1981 and 1982.
The jury found Hartman not guilty on five indecent assault charges.
At a separate trial by jury, which concluded last week, Hartman was found not guilty of indecent assault against another former male student.
Hartman was arrested when he arrived at Melbourne Airport in September 2013.
He is believed to be the first Catholic clergy member extradited from the US to face court in Australia.
The woman who brought the first charge against Hartman that led to his extradition, said she felt no fear as she finally confronted her abuser in court.
“The person who was in the court that day was not the little girl, it was the grown woman,” said the woman, who cannot be identified.
“When he walked through security . . . I saw him as soon as he came in the building and he saw me. It was like, just you wait mate, I’m here.”
The woman said Hartman had been charged for his offence against her under the laws of the time, but had he committed the same crime today it would be classified as rape.
“If you look at laws back then, it was only six years before I first came into contact with Hartman that Aboriginals were still being treated as fauna,” she said.
“The outcome of the actual verdicts are belittling to the gravity of the crime.
“In today’s standards, sexual assault could be something like – not that this is right – somebody groping another person on the train outside their clothing.
“What happened to me was digital rape. My person, my body was invaded.”
Hartman is scheduled to appear in court next month for a sentence plea hearing.
Sexual Assault Crisis Line: 1800 806 292
