Br Damien John O’Dempsey

Former Christian Brother convicted of child-sex offences

Brother Damien John O’Dempsey was a member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers who worked as a teacher, school principal and provincial administrator in Queensland and New South Wales. His career included appointments at several Catholic educational institutions, where he held positions of authority over children and adolescents.

O’Dempsey was convicted of child-sex offences in Queensland in 1994. Further criminal proceedings followed in connection with alleged abuse at St Patrick’s College, Strathfield, in New South Wales. Records associated with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse also identify allegations concerning several schools where he had worked.

Teaching and administrative appointments

O’Dempsey spent much of his career in the Christian Brothers’ Queensland province. His reported appointments included:

·       St Patrick’s College, Gregory Terrace, Brisbane

·       St Mary’s Christian Brothers College, Toowoomba

·       Ignatius Park College, Townsville

·       St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon

·       St Patrick’s College, Strathfield, New South Wales

·       Parade Preparatory College, Alphington, Victoria

The available material also identifies an appointment as secretary of the Christian Brothers’ Queensland province in the early 1990s. This administrative position placed him within the province’s leadership structure.

The Royal Commission’s records identify allegations concerning O’Dempsey at St Mary’s College, Toowoomba; Ignatius Park College; Parade Preparatory College; and St Patrick’s College, Strathfield. Allegations have also been reported concerning his time at other institutions.

1987: Offences at St Mary’s College, Toowoomba

On 16 December 1994, O’Dempsey pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court to six counts of indecent dealing with a child. The offences concerned a boy who was 15 years old in 1987, when O’Dempsey was principal of St Mary’s Christian Brothers College in Toowoomba.

According to contemporary court reporting, prosecutor Ross Martin told the court that O’Dempsey had indecently touched the student in several locations, including his office, a classroom and the student’s bedroom.

Judge John Robertson sentenced O’Dempsey to 18 months’ imprisonment, with parole eligibility after four months. The sentence was reported in the Courier-Mail on 17 December 1994.

1998: Further proceedings concerning alleged abuse in Townsville

In November 1998, O’Dempsey faced further proceedings concerning allegations made by a former student, identified here as “Tim”.

The allegations concerned events at Ignatius Park College in Townsville between 1981 and 1984, when the student was approximately 13 to 16 years old. According to the account provided, O’Dempsey had offered the boy additional tuition and support following the death of his father.

The allegations included repeated sexual abuse and serious sexual assaults. The matter came to police attention after detectives contacted former students while investigating allegations against another Christian Brother.

In November 1998, Magistrate Brian Williams ordered O’Dempsey to stand trial. The committal proceedings were reported in the Courier-Mail on 24 November 1998.

The proposed trial did not proceed after the complainant withdrew from the process amid deteriorating mental health. The proceedings were therefore abandoned. These allegations should be distinguished from the offences for which O’Dempsey was convicted in 1994.

2001: Departure from the Christian Brothers

Records cited in material concerning O’Dempsey state that he was dispensed from the Christian Brothers in 2001, following criminal charges and related proceedings.

2006: Proceedings concerning St Patrick’s College, Strathfield

Records relating to O’Dempsey state that in 2006 he pleaded guilty to offences associated with sexual abuse at St Patrick’s College, Strathfield, in 1981. The reported sentence was two years’ imprisonment, with a 12-month non-parole period, wholly suspended subject to a two-year good-behaviour bond, supervision by the Adult Probation and Parole Service, and continued treatment.

The precise charges, sentencing terms and legal outcome should be checked against the relevant court records before publication.

2010: Apology and settlement

According to the historical account supplied for this profile, the Christian Brothers provided a written apology and reached a settlement with a former student identified as “Tim” in 2010. An earlier settlement was also reported in relation to a complainant identified as “Brian”.

These reported settlements are relevant to the history of institutional responses to complaints. They should not be treated as independent proof of allegations beyond those established in criminal proceedings.

Further allegations

Additional allegations have been reported concerning O’Dempsey’s conduct towards students at other Catholic schools, including St Brendan’s College in Yeppoon. One account describes a former student who allegedly experienced inappropriate attention and weekend trips with O’Dempsey following the death of his father. The account also reports that the student later died by suicide.

These claims require careful attribution and independent verification. The circumstances of the student’s death should not be presented as causally linked to alleged abuse unless reliable evidence establishes that connection.

Institutional accountability

The history of Damien John O’Dempsey illustrates the importance of documenting court-established offences separately from allegations, institutional responses and unresolved claims.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse examined how institutions responded to child sexual abuse, including failures in safeguarding and complaint handling. Records of convictions, court proceedings and documented institutional responses can help preserve the historical record, support public accountability and inform child-protection practices.