An application has been moved today before the Goa Children's Court by Mr.
Anthony Frois uncle of the minor girl allegedly molested by Ribandar Parish
priest Fr. Newton Rodrigues seeking steps to ensure that the accused priest
does not leave Goa.

The application comes in the wake of the reported decision to move Fr.
Newton Rodrigues from Ribandar Church and to send him on a long-term
assignment to a church in the United States of America.

The application is expected to come up for hearing when the Court meets for
its weekly hearing on Friday 31st December.

In his application Mr. Frois has submitted that the accused priest is likely
to leave Goa anytime to avoid standing trial for the offences committed and
thereby frustrate his prosecution.

It has been further submitted that as the accused priest is likely to flee
justice it was imperative that the Court exercises its powers to take
cognizance of the offences committed and ensure the presence of the accused
priest at the trial by issuing a warrant of arrest or other process and by
not allowing the accused priest to abscond.

It may be recalled that the Children's Court headed by South Goa District
Judge A.D.Salkar after hearing arguments advanced on the maintainability of
Mr. Frois private criminal complaint has fixed the matter for January 7th
for orders.

On Dec 24th last year before the X'mas midnight mass Fr. Newton Rodrigues
allegedly took the 13-year-old Ribandar girl to a room in the church on the
pretext of taking confession and molested her. Fr. Newton Rodrigues is the
first Roman Catholic Priest in Goa against whom the police have registered
an F.I.R for an offence of molestation but till date have not arrested the
accused priest.

Meanwhile a contempt of Court petition filed against Inspector Mrs. Ezilda
D' Souza for not complying with her statement on September 17th to the High
Court that the accused priest would be charge-sheeted shortly is already
pending before the Panaji Bench of the Bombay High Court.


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