Brother Ross Francis Murrin

Brother Ross Francis Murrin was born on 10 June 1955. In January 1973, he joined the Marist Brothers at the age of 17 and has had a long career with the Order. He has taught/served at the following schools:

• 1974: Marist Brothers primary school in Daceyville, Sydney;

• 1976: Marist Brothers primary school (now called St Gregory's parish school) in Queanbeyan, Canberra. This was followed by two years of teacher training (1977-78);

• 1979-81: St Augustine’s College, Cairns, Queensland (with boarding-school duties);

• 1982-83: Marcellin College junior school, Coogee in Sydney (as primary deputy principal);

• 1984: Parramatta Marist High School in Sydney (secondary);

• 1985-87: St Gregory’s College in Campbelltown, Sydney (secondary, with boarding-school duties);

• 1988-89: Parramatta Marist High School;

• 1990-93: St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill, Sydney (secondary, with boarding-school duties);

• 1994 -2000: Marist College Ashgrove, Brisbane;

•  2001: St Patrick’s Marist College, Dundas, Sydney;

• 2002: Marist College North Shore in North Sydney.

Like many other clergy in Australia, Brother Ross Francis Murrin has been charged and convicted of child sexual abuse offences in 2008, 2010 and 2018. The convictions were in relation to the abuse that occurred at the following schools:

• Marist Brothers primary school in Daceyville, Sydney. On 10 March 2008, Murrin was jailed after pleading guilty to 17 charges of indecently assaulting eight boys in Year 5 and Year 6 at this school.

• St Gregory's College in Campbelltown, Sydney. On 4 February 2010 he was sentenced to additional jail time for repeatedly committing sexual assaults on a St Gregory's student. Furthermore, on 14 December 2018 he was jailed again regarding the abuse of another St Gregory's College student.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse also heard from some victims’, allegations of child sexual abuse by Brother Murrin in relation to St Augustine's College in Cairns. The Royal Commission concluded in Case Study No.  4 - The experiences of four survivors with the Towards Healing process – Finding No. 35 – that:

Brother Burns (principal of St Augustine’s) received complaints from two male students in 1981 that Brother Murrin had inappropriately touched them at St Augustine’s College;

• Brother Burns spoke to Brother Murrin about these complaints

• Brother Murrin admitted that he had inappropriately touched the boys

• Brother Burns informed the Provincial of the Marist Brothers about the complaint

• Brother Burns did not remove Brother Murrin from his position as dormitory master

• Brother Burns did not remove the complainants from Brother Murrin’s dormitory.

In Finding No. 36, the Royal Commission also concluded;

• Different protective steps should have been taken when Brother Burns received two complaints in 1981 about Brother Murrin touching boys inappropriately in his dormitory.

• If different protective steps had been taken by the Marist Brothers, Brother Murrin’s subsequent offending may have been avoided.

Brother Murrin was kept in the Marist order and was transferred to more schools.

Moody Law is currently representing a client who was abused by Brother Murrin when he was part of St Joseph’s College in Hunters Hill, Sydney.

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

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