Ex- priest case limbo

80s assault charges on hold

NO progress has been made in having a former Dominic College teacher and ex- Catholic priest extradited from Victoria to face historic indecent assault allegations, a court has heard.

Former Salesian order priest David Edwin Rapson, who taught at the Glenorchy school during the 1980s, has been charged with six counts of indecent assault.

In January, the 67- year- old was due to face the Supreme Court of Tasmania for a directions hearing, but the court heard he was serving a “long sentence” in a Victorian prison for other crimes.

Defence barrister Kim Baumeler said at the time the allegations were historic and dated back to “when he was a minister at a school”.

The court was told material from Tasmania Police was “voluminous”.

Last month, the court heard Rapson was “certainly aware of the charges” and that the crown would apply for his transfer to Tasmania.

In the Supreme Court in Hobart before Justice Robert Pearce on Monday, the crown prosecutor said endeavours had been made to have Rapson appear via video link, but it had proven difficult because the Victorian prison he was in would not facilitate it without a warrant.

The prosecutor said the papers had been filed and it was just a matter of either getting Rapson transferred from Victoria or for him to appear via video link. He has never appeared in any Tasmanian court on these matters.

Ms Baumeler said the matter was heading towards a trial, although some matters would resolve while others were still in dispute. The prosecutor asked for the matter to be adjourned until next year as “I do not think it is going to resolve in the next two weeks”.

The matter was adjourned until February 1.