Father Frank Klep
Father Frank Gerard Klep was born in Holland on 3 October 1943. He arrived in Australia with his family when he was aged ten. He went to school at Salesian College, Chadstone (Melbourne). By the age of 16, the Salesian Fathers viewed him as a future priest where he spent his final two school years of high school (as a boarder at the College) in a special classroom of “aspirants” for the priesthood. At the age of 18, he joined the Salesian Fathers of Don Bosco.
Father Klep was ordained as a priest in 1972 at the aged of 29. He next worked as a teacher at Salesian College, "Rupertswood", where he was the "religion" co-ordinator. The College at the time was a boys-only school, with boarders as well as day students. In 1979, Klep was transferred from "Rupertswood" at the end of 1979 to become the principal of Salesian College in Brooklyn Park, Adelaide. In the 1980’s, complaints surfaced over Father Klep abusing boys at the infirmary at his old college. In 1982-6, Klep was transferred back as principal to Ruperstswood. Numerous parents becamed alarmed by his new promotion and the allegation that had surfaced about his behaviour. Consequently, they confronted the Salesians' Australian administration and demanded Klep's removal. However, Salesians refused to remove him and Klep, himself, denied everything. The alarmed parents also reported Klep to the then Chief Administrator of the Catholic Archidiocese of Melbourne, who also ignored the parent’s complaints.
In 1993, the parents out of frustration took the matter to Victoria Police where in December 1994, a magistrate in Melbourne found Frank Klep guilty and sentenced him to nine months jail. However, he served his time by doing community service and gardening at nursing homes.
Father Klep has also worked/served in the following institutions:
Auxilium College (a training and retreat centre for clergy) at Lysterfield, south-east of Melbourne;
Moamoa Theological College in Samoa;
Salesian order’s St John’s Boys Home in Adelaide;
Salesian College, Brooklyn Park in Adelaide;
Father Klep has also been charged and sentenced for the following:
In 2005, Father Klep was charged and sentenced over 14 incidents involving eleven victims;
In 2014, Father Klep was charged and sentenced when he pleaded guilty to 12 counts of indecent assault, buggery, attempted buggery and rape.
In 2019, In the Melbourne County Court Father Klep (aged 75) was sentenced again after he pleaded guilty to five more counts of indecent assault. His victims were four boys at the Salesian College in Sunbury and a fifth boy at a school camp in Dromana during the 1970s and 1980s.
At the time of his new sentence in 2019, Father Klep was already serving a 10-and-a-half-year prison sentence for molesting 15 schoolboys. The latest sentence added another two years to his sentence and he will not be eligible for release on parole until 2022.
Moody Law has in the past represented and is still representing clients who were sexually abused by Father Frank Klep when he was a member of the Salesians.
We invite former victims of Father Klep 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.