Father Charles Alfred Barnett

Father Charles Alfred Barnett was a Catholic priest and member of the Vincentian Fathers (also known as the Congregation of the Mission). Over a period of approximately 20 years, he sexually abused children in South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. His crimes eventually resulted in multiple convictions and lengthy prison sentences.

Early Life and Entry into the Priesthood

Originally an Anglican, Charles Alfred Barnett lived at Stepney in Adelaide before converting to the Catholic Church as an adult. He began studying for the priesthood at St Francis Xavier Seminary in Rostrevor, South Australia.

During the late 1960s, Vincentian seminarians completed their theological studies at Rostrevor. Barnett chose to join the Vincentian Fathers rather than enter a diocesan priesthood and was ordained as Father Charles Barnett CM, becoming a member of the Congregation of the Mission.

At the time, the Vincentians operated throughout Australia, with communities in each mainland state and a national headquarters in Sydney.

Ministry Throughout Australia

Barnett first appeared in the Australian Catholic Directory in the early 1970s, when he was listed as living with the Vincentian community at Eastwood in Sydney.

During the early 1970s, he is believed to have served at Mary Immaculate Parish in Southport on Queensland's Gold Coast. Parishioners from that period recall that he was sometimes known as Father Alf Barnett.

The 1975 Catholic Directory listed him as a staff member of St Francis Xavier Seminary at Rostrevor, Adelaide.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Barnett worked in numerous parishes and institutions across Australia, including:

• St Teresa's Parish, Whyalla, South Australia.

• St Joseph's Parish, Malvern, Victoria.

• St Vincent's Parish, Ashfield, New South Wales.

• St Vincent's Parish, Wandal (Rockhampton), Queensland.

• Mary Immaculate Parish, Southport, Queensland.

Former students and parishioners also recall Barnett visiting or working at:

• St Stanislaus College, Bathurst, New South Wales.

• Rostrevor College, Adelaide.

• The Kwinana Parish in Western Australia.

While serving in Whyalla during the late 1970s, former students from St John's College recalled Barnett making "home visits" to boys. During this period he was also associated with communities in Port Pirie and Crystal Brook, where many of his later offences occurred.

Military Chaplaincy

The 1983 Catholic Directory listed Barnett as serving in Whyalla while also acting as a chaplain to Army Reserve units.

Former Royal Australian Navy apprentices have also recalled Barnett serving during the mid-1980s as a Navy chaplain at HMAS Nirimba, Quakers Hill, New South Wales.

St Mary's Parish, Sydney

During the late 1980s, Barnett lived at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in St Marys, western Sydney. The parish priest at the time was Father Richard St John Cattell, who was later convicted of child sexual abuse offences.

While at St Marys, Barnett became actively involved with the parish's Antioch youth movement, working closely with young people.

Return to Queensland

In the early 1990s, Barnett served at St Vincent's Parish in Wandal, Rockhampton.

He became popular with many local families, some of whom allowed their sons to spend time alone with him or stay overnight at the presbytery while parents were away.

By 1994, Barnett had become Parish Priest of Mary Immaculate Parish at Southport, Queensland, where he had previously served as an assistant priest.

Departure from the Priesthood

Between 1995 and 1997, the Australian Catholic Directory listed Barnett as being on leave. From 1998 onwards, his name no longer appeared in the directory.

Barnett subsequently moved to Indonesia, where he taught English and operated a business. He was no longer working as a Catholic priest.

Police Investigation and Extradition

By 2006, South Australian police had gathered substantial evidence relating to Barnett's sexual abuse of children in South Australia.

At the time, Australia had no extradition treaty with Indonesia. Following changes to extradition arrangements, Barnett became the first person extradited from Indonesia to Australia to face criminal charges.

In February 2009, detectives from South Australia's Sexual Crime Investigation Branch arrested Barnett in Jakarta and returned him to Adelaide.

In September 2009, the then 68-year-old appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court charged with offences allegedly committed at Crystal Brook and Port Pirie between 1977 and 1985.

The following month he pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including unlawful sexual intercourse and indecent assault involving boys aged between 11 and 16 years.

2010 Conviction and Sentencing

In June 2010, Barnett stood trial in the South Australian District Court.

During the proceedings, the defence argued that Barnett had not appreciated the seriousness of his actions at the time of the offending. The court rejected that argument.

In August 2010, Barnett was convicted and sentenced to six years and six months' imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years.

In sentencing, the judge stated that Barnett's crimes had "wrenched the innocence" from his victims and that the impact on them had been devastating.

Further Convictions

After completing his prison sentence, Barnett again appeared before the courts in 2018 on further South Australian charges involving the indecent assault of two children and the persistent sexual exploitation of another child.

He pleaded guilty to the offences, which had also occurred during his time as a priest in the Port Pirie region more than three decades earlier.

Ongoing Reports

In 2019, another former student contacted Broken Rites indicating that he intended to report Barnett to South Australian police.

Barnett's known offending spanned approximately two decades and multiple Australian states, with victims continuing to come forward many years after the abuse occurred