A HIGH-PROFILE Tasmanian academic and psychologist who
headed an inquiry into child sex abuse in the Anglican Church was remanded in custody
yesterday after admitting having sex with a child.
Michael James Crowley, 59, of Howden Rd, Howden, pleaded
guilty to maintaining a sexual relationship with a person under the age of 17.
The victim, now 44, was a 15-year-old girl at the time of the offences and he was 31.
Crowley, a former school teacher, is the former state president of the Australian Psychological Society and was a senior clinical psychologist with the State Government's Alcohol and Drug Service before recently tendering his resignation.
He has been an honorary lecturer at the University of Tasmania and his PhD thesis examined expert testimony in child sex abuse cases.
The Supreme Court in Hobart was told the woman's decision to come forward to police was motivated partly by the fact that Crowley had built a profession out of working with vulnerable people, including victims of child sex abuse.
The court was told Crowley headed an inquiry into allegations of child sex abuse within the Anglican Church.
Crowley was charged by police last November and had pleaded not guilty to charges of having sex with the girl from the time she was 13 until she was 16.
Yesterday, the indictment was amended so the charge now relates to a time when the girl was 15 to 16 years old.
Crowley changed his plea from not guilty to guilty. He was remanded in custody for sentence at 4pm on Thursday.
Director of Public Prosecutions Tim Ellis, SC, told the court Crowley had initiated an inappropriate relationship with the girl before she was 13.
He had then begun writing letters to her which were of a "romantic" nature.
Mr Ellis said one of the letters was intercepted by the girl's father, who confronted her about it.
Crowley had then established a post box for the girl, who lived in New South Wales, and paid the rental on it.
He also established a scheme to alert her when he would telephone her, allowing the phone to ring twice before hanging up.
He bought her gifts, including a gold ring he asked her to wear on the fourth finger of her left hand.
"It was classical grooming behaviour typical of predatory child sex abusers," Mr Ellis said.
"His seduction of her was carried out entirely for his own gratification and with no apparent concern for the consequences on the complainant."
Crowley first had sex with the girl at a house near the Bridgewater or Brighton primary school, where he was employed as a teacher.
Mr Ellis said the victim clearly remembered the incident, including the physical pain she experienced, and how she had cried afterwards.
Crowley had comforted her and told her it would be all right.
He continued to have sex with the girl during 1974 and 1975, on a bush track at Mt Wellington and at a property he had bought and was renovating in Melville St.
"He took explicit photographs of her and sent an explicit photograph of himself to her," Mr Ellis said.
In 1975, the girl fell pregnant to Crowley and later had the pregnancy terminated, although Crowley had expressed happiness and said he had intended for her to fall pregnant.
Mr Ellis said she had brought the matter to the attention of police last year partly because she was now the mother of teenaged children and had an awareness of the effects of sexual abuse.
"It was also in disgust at what she saw as his hypocrisy in having never displayed any remorse or taken responsibility for these events by nevertheless developing his professional work into the area of clinical care of vulnerable people," he said.
Particularly, she was upset over Crowley's decision to accept a commission from the Anglican Church in 1997 to investigate sexual misconduct by officers or clergy within the church, and to compile in 1998 a report, Not The Way of Christ.
The court was told the woman had been significantly affected by the abuse, had suffered depression and had been admitted three times to a psychiatric hospital due to suicidal tendencies.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by Mr Ellis, the victim told of her feelings of anger, sadness and betrayal.
"My whole life has been about coping," she said in her statement.
A crowd of about 40 people attended the Supreme Court in Hobart yesterday when Crowley made his plea before Justice Alan Blow.
The victim was in the public gallery with her husband and her brother.
Crowley's lawyer, Bruce Nibbs, said it was a difficult case which had happened a long time ago.
"What my client did was wrong and he admits it was wrong," Mr Nibbs said.
He said Crowley was never aware that he had caused harm to the victim.
He said a number of Crowley's former students had written to offer support.
Crowley had developed a form of therapy known as empowerment therapy which had been successful in treating people suffering substance abuse and had been welcomed by the psychology field.
The victim had returned to Tasmania after the termination of her pregnancy. She had also sent him cards and he had been a godparent to one of her children.
"Over a 30-year period my client has shown that he has become a responsible member of the community," Mr Nibbs said.
He said the likelihood of Crowley reoffending was remote and he had demonstrated by his actions over the past three decades that he was rehabilitated.
"Here you have a man who for the last 30 years has worked tirelessly for others," Mr Nibbs said.
"He has a tremendous amount of support in the community.
"He has shown by his own actions he is a good, decent man."