Beyond Abuse receives high number of call about Tasmanian priest Daniel McMahon

The former Christian Brother entered the priesthood when he moved to Turners Beach in 1990 and continued to live in Tasmania until his death in 2012.

Jarrod Luscombe, a former abuse victim of Father McMahon, recently came forward and shared his story in the hope of prompting any other victims of the priest to speak out.

READ MORE: All close contacts return negative COVID tests

Mr Luscombe was aged 16 when he was groomed and eventually abused by Father McMahon in Perth, Western Australia.

It was not until 20 years later that he acknowledged the abuse and the profound impact it had on his life.

He took his complaints to the police and Catholic Archdiocese in Western Australia, but no action was taken.

READ MORE: Prestigious Tasmanian home expects $7m offers

Mr Luscombe even visited Father McMahon's home in Turners Beach where he conducted an interview captured by a dictaphone in which the priest acknowledged his wrongdoing.

Father McMahon died before Mr Luscombe could win justice.

Beyond Abuse chief executive Steve Fisher said the service had been taken aback by the amount of calls from purported victims of Father McMahon since Mr Luscombe shared his story.

READ MORE: Criminal gangs targeted in the North

"And I really do expect a lot more to call," he said.

"Usually it takes weeks, month, or even years for people to speak out.

"What we've been able to do for those who have called so far is to put them in touch with health care professionals, and in some cases, legal representation.

"We've set up future meetings to step them through the process."

READ MORE: State vaccination rates continues to be a tale of two regions

Mr Fisher said the underlying message from those who had contacted Beyond Abuse was that the Catholic Church's response to their claims had not been sufficient.

"The Catholic Church has to be made accountable and made accountable in a big way," he said.

"Those who have contacted us all have cases for compensation and it's time for the church to do the right thing and not fight these claims as they have done in the past."

Mr Fisher encouraged any victim of Father McMahon to contact the service on 0483129328 or 0459442303 for peer-to-peer and other support services.

As a Christian Brother, Father McMahon worked at schools in South Australian and Western Australia between 1965 and 1989.

He was employed at no fewer than eight schools between that time.

These included primary schools, junior schools and colleges in Perth, Adelaide, Geraldton and Fremantle.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: