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Christian Brother Robert Best was convicted in the Melbourne County Court in June 1996 for child-sex offences. After this, more former students contacted the police, so Best was brought back to the same court again in March 1998 on additional counts. In both years, the charges involved putting his hands inside the pants of boys aged from 10 to 12 and interfering with their private parts — that is, the crime of indecent assault. Brother Best's backgroundIn court, it was stated that Robert Charles Best was born on 1 January 1941. He was educated in Catholic schools at Warrnambool (western Victoria) and Bundoora (Melbourne) to matriculation level. In 1960 he entered a Christian Brothers novitiate (training college) to become a Brother. He began teaching (as "Brother" Best) in Fremantle (Western Australia) in 1963 and in Launceston (Tasmania) in 1967, teaching up to Grades 6 and 7. He was active in sport and in choir practice, the court was told.From 1968 to 1973 (inclusive), Best taught at St Alipius parish primary school for boys in Ballarat East, where he also acted as the headmaster. (The name of the school is pronounced as "Saint Al-LEEP-ee-us".) While working at this school, he resided at St Patrick's College (a secondary boarding school in Ballarat), where he also supervised a dormitory. The court was told that in 1974 Best was taken off teaching and was based for a year at a Catholic house in Melbourne (then called the "National Pastoral Institute", which has since been abolished). From 1975 to 1985 (inclusive), he taught at St Leo's College (Christian Brothers) in Box Hill (in Melbourne's East), teaching Grade 6 for three years and junior secondary classes after that, the court was told. He was the superior of the ten Christian Brothers living at Box Hill. He attended school camps at Shoreham on the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne. In 1985-89, he taught at St Joseph's College, Geelong, where he was the Year 8 co-ordinator, the court was told. In 1989-94, he taught (specialising in Year 9) at Warrnambool Christian Brothers College (also called St Joseph's) in south-western Victoria. He was the superior of the Warrnambool Christian Brothers Community, the court was told. (This school later evolved into Emmanuel College, a co-ed school). In December 1994, when Brother Bob Best was aged 53, detectives from Ballarat interviewed him at Warrnambool, regarding certain complaints relating to St Alipius school, Ballarat East. The 1996 caseWhen Robert Charles Best was principal of the St Alipius boys' primary school in Ballarat East in 1968-73, he was aged from 27 to 32.In the 1996 case, Best was charged with eight counts of indecent assault involving five boys, aged 11 or 12, while they were at St Alipius. Judge Michael Mclnerney allowed Best to have a separate jury for each complainant. (Therefore, each jury believed that there was only one complainant and that the offence was an isolated occurrence.) Best was found guilty concerning one of the complainants and not guilty concerning the other four. Judge McInerney gave Best a nine-months jail sentence, which was suspended.
The 1998 caseAfter the 1996 case, five more complainants from St Alipius came forward.After a County Court trial in 1998, Best was found guilty on six counts involving two of the boys (one aged 9 and one aged 11). The allegations involved indecent touching. On 27 March 1998 Judge James Duggan sentenced Best to 24 months' jail (with a minimum of 12 months before becoming eligible for parole). In his sentencing remarks, the judge said Best had molested a Grade 4 boy four times as he sat next to the pupil in class pretending to take an interest in his work. He also twice abused a Grade 6 boy in the school's sick bay, the judge said. The judge said that Best's position of trust, in a religious order, made his offences worse. The judge said the victims had been unable, at the time, to lodge a complaint because Best was not only a Christian Brother but was also the school principal. He said the publicity surrounding the 1996 trial had finally given the victims the opportunity to come forward. On 23 July 1998, after three months in jail, Best won an appeal against the March 1998 conviction and received the right to be given a new trial. The police investigations of Brother Robert Best have been conducted by the Ballarat Criminal Investigation Unit. The 1996 and 1998 cases were reported in the media: Herald Sun, 24-7-1996 (on pages 1 and 4), 25-7-96, 28-3-98; The Australian, 26-7-96 (page 11); and The Age, 25-7-96, 28-3-98.
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