Brother Ibar Keating

Brother Ibar Keating was born as Frank Terrence Keating in 1942 in Melbourne, Victoria. He served most of his career as a teaching Brother with the De La Salle Brothers at numerous schools in Victoria, Queensland, and New South Wales between the 1960s to the 1990s. Brother Ibar is known to have taught at the following schools:

After Brother Ibar left the De La Salle Brothers in 1991, he worked as a lay teacher at Catholic schools in Port Augusta and Port Pirie (South Australia) in 1992-3 and in Ferntree Gully and Werribee (Victoria) in 1993-5. He then worked as an administrator in the Catholic Education Office in Melbourne until Victoria Police charged him in 1997.

Since 1997, Brother Ibar has been involved in numerous matters involving child sexual abuse allegations. They include the following:

1997 - 1998

In the Melbourne Magistrates Court in December 1997, Keating (then aged 55) pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting twelve boys (aged 12 and 13) at De La Salle College in Malvern, Melbourne, between 1972 and 1978. He was sentenced to 36 months jail, 8 months to be served behind bars and the remainder suspended.

2000

In April 2000, Brother Keating (then aged 57) pleaded guilty to molesting 12 boys on 33 occasions in the 1980s at De La Salle College in Scarborough north of Brisbane. He was sentenced to 12 months’ jail but was suspended because Brother Keating was already been behind bars in Victoria for the offences committed at De La Salle College Malvern.

2017-2018

In Victoria, Brother Keating pleaded guilty to indecently assaulting eight boys at De La Salle College Malvern in the early 1970s. The victims were aged between 11 to 15. Brother Ibar himself was aged between 28 and 35 at the time. He was sentenced to a maximum of five years and three months in jail. He was ordered to serve at least three years behind bars (dating from December 2017) before becoming eligible for parole.

2019 - 2020

On 13 September 2019, Brother/Mr Keating (aged 77) pleaded Guilty to a number of charges in relation to his time teaching at De La Salle College in Scarborough. In 2020, further charges were laid by Queensland Police for allegedly indecently dealing with boys at De La Salle College. The charges included 10 counts of indecent dealing with a boy under 14 and three counts of indecent dealing with a boy under 17. He is also facing one charge each of indecent treatment of boys under 17, assault and carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature.

2024

In August 2024, Ibar Keating was again sentenced to six years jail with a non-parole period of 20 months. He will be eligible for release on 1 April 2026. This was in relation to sexual offences committed against five students at De La Salle College in Scarborough, Queensland when Keating was Principal of the School.

Moody Law has in the past and is still representing clients who have made allegations of sexual abuse against Brother Ibar Keating when he was a teacher at De La Salle College Scarborough and has represented and is still representing other clients who have made allegations of sexual abuse by other members of the De La Salle Brothers at other institutions around Australia.

We invite former victims to tell us confidentially what information they may have, and we will explain what options are available to help with these cases.

Call us or complete the confidential enquiry form below.