Father Peter Julian Brock

Early Life and Ministry

Father Peter Julian Brock was born on 18 September 1945 and was ordained a Catholic priest for the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese in the late 1960s. Throughout his ministry he served in numerous parishes across the diocese, including Waratah, Merewether, Charlestown, Kurri Kurri, Boolaroo, Belmont, New Lambton and East Maitland. During the 1980s he also worked as a part-time chaplain to the deaf community and to the University of Newcastle.

Abuse of John and Paul Parmeter

Shortly after his ordination, Father Brock became acquainted with the Parmeter family. A frequent visitor to their home, he developed a close relationship with nine-year-old twins John and Paul Parmeter, whose parents trusted him as their parish priest. Brock, an accomplished musician, offered the boys music lessons at the parish presbytery, giving him regular unsupervised access to them.

According to John Parmeter, Brock's behaviour began with physical affection, including hugs, before escalating into sexual abuse. By the time the twins were thirteen, in 1972, the abuse had become serious criminal offending.

John later explained that his family's deep Catholic faith left him feeling unable to disclose what was happening. Fear, shame and the Church's culture of silence meant that both brothers endured years of abuse without reporting it. The experience had a profound and lasting impact on their lives.

Reporting the Abuse

Nearly four decades later, in 2007, John Parmeter decided to come forward so that no other child would suffer as he had. He reported the abuse to the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese's child protection officer before making a formal complaint to New South Wales Police.

Detectives at Charlestown Police Station interviewed both John and his twin brother and commenced a criminal investigation. In September 2007, Bishop Michael Malone announced that Father Brock had temporarily stood aside from ministry while an investigation was underway, although he did not disclose its nature.

Written Apology

In 2008, John Parmeter met privately with Father Brock to explain the lifelong harm caused by the abuse. Following that meeting, Brock provided John with a written apology dated 7 May 2008, acknowledging that his actions had caused pain and distress and expressing shame and regret.

While the letter did not expressly admit criminal conduct, it acknowledged wrongdoing towards John.

Criminal Charges and Court Proceedings

In October 2008, New South Wales Police charged Father Peter Julian Brock with 22 child sexual offences involving John and Paul Parmeter.

Brock appeared in Newcastle Local Court on 11 March 2009, where he indicated he would contest the charges. During preliminary hearings, John Parmeter gave evidence describing how Brock had groomed the brothers through music lessons before progressively committing sexual offences. He also described a card game used by Brock to facilitate the abuse.

John told police that, as a child left alone in the care of a trusted priest, he felt powerless and unable to tell anyone what had happened.

The hearing was scheduled to continue in December 2009. However, the Director of Public Prosecutions discontinued the prosecution after John, exhausted by the lengthy legal process, was no longer able to continue as the principal witness.

Church Investigation

Following the withdrawal of the criminal proceedings, the Diocese was required under New South Wales procedures to conduct its own investigation and provide a report to the NSW Ombudsman.

In November 2010, Bishop Michael Malone announced that Father Brock would return to ministry, stating that he would initially focus on adult ministry. The announcement created the impression that Brock had been cleared of wrongdoing.

However, when John and Paul Parmeter obtained a summary of the Church's investigation, it confirmed that between 1968 and 1975 Father Brock had engaged in a sustained pattern of sexual misconduct towards both boys while they were children. The report concluded that his conduct constituted "sexual misconduct" as defined under the NSW Ombudsman Act 1974.

The brothers publicly criticised the Diocese's handling of the matter, believing Brock's return to ministry amounted to a whitewash of his conduct. The Diocese's child protection manager later acknowledged that the announcement had caused further hurt and should have been handled differently.

National Church Appointment

Despite the findings of the Church investigation, Father Brock was appointed in March 2012 as the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference's national project officer responsible for preparations for the Church's "Year of Grace".

For John Parmeter, this public appointment reinforced his belief that Church authorities continued to minimise or overlook Brock's misconduct despite the findings of their own investigation.

Civil Settlement

The Parmeter brothers later negotiated an ex gratia financial settlement with the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese through their solicitor. As was customary, acceptance of the payment required them to relinquish any future legal claim for damages against the Church.

Although the settlement exceeded the average amount then paid in similar Church claims, the brothers maintained that no financial payment could compensate for the lifelong impact of the abuse.

Death of Father Brock

Father Peter Brock died on 11 September 2014, aged 69. According to John Parmeter, Brock had spent many years threatening legal action against victims or media organisations that sought to publish allegations against him, contributing to the prolonged silence surrounding the abuse.

John Parmeter Speaks Publicly

Following Brock's death, John Parmeter chose to publicly identify himself as a survivor.

In September 2014, he gave a front-page interview to the Newcastle Herald, explaining that he hoped sharing his experience would encourage other survivors to come forward. He also said he took comfort in knowing that his original complaint to police in 2007 had contributed to the work of Strike Force Georgiana, whose investigations became part of the broader exposure of institutional child sexual abuse in Australia.

John Parmeter authorised publication of both his name and photograph, believing that speaking publicly could assist other survivors and help expose institutional failures in responding to child sexual abuse.