Abuse victim wants Vic govt to sue church

A VICTIM of clerical sexual abuse has urged the Victorian government to launch legal action against the Catholic Church.

Chris Whelan, who was a victim of and a witness to abuse while a student at two Melbourne Catholic schools, has asked a parliamentary inquiry to recommend a publicly funded civil lawsuit against the church.

Mr Whelan said victims needed the state government to champion their cause.

"I want this inquiry to come out with an arrowhead for the spear," he told the inquiry into sexual abuse within religious and other organisations on Monday.

"(This is) a strategy for these people to pay due recompense to the survivors."

Mr Whelan said the government should seek a multibillion-dollar compensation payment to buy a new home for each victim.

Earlier on Monday, fellow victim Wayne Davis said the inquiry should recommend the state government apologise for failing to prevent the abuse from occurring.

Mr Davis says he suffered a year of torture at the Morning Star Boys Home in Mornington, during which he was beaten, sexually abused and forced to do manual labour.

Since his ordeal, he had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and had struggled with alcohol and gambling addictions.

Mr Davis said the state government also needed to be held accountable for failing to act after he raised his concerns in 1967.

"I would like to see ... an unqualified and sincere apology," he told the inquiry.

Mr Davis has received a compensation payout from the church but says he is yet to hear someone say sorry for the treatment he suffered.

"I hope by adding my story to this shameful affair that I can at last find peace in my life," he said.

"What I would like to see come out of this inquiry is that every denomination and institution be held fully responsible for their actions."

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Shooting victim appeals for witnesses

The victim of a shooting in Strathfield last month at a press conference. Source: The Daily Telegraph

A MAN shot during a fight in Sydney's inner west last month has made a plea for anyone who saw the incident to come forward.

The 21-year-old, who does not wish to be named, was shot during an altercation shortly after midnight at Strathfield Park in Strathfield on February 8.

The man drove himself to Lidcombe where he was found by police and taken to hospital.

He has since recovered from his injuries and recently helped detectives put together a video reconstruction of the shooting, police said.

The 21-year-old said a number of people were at Strathfield Park at the time of the shooting.

"All I ask is that they do the right thing and contact police, so the people who did this to me can be brought to justice," he said in a statement with NSW Police.

Detective Sergeant Karl Leis from Flemington Local Area Command said police were confident they would catch those responsible.

"Nevertheless, we would still like to speak to anyone with information that may help us, particularly those who we believe were at the park on the night of the shooting," he said.

Det Sgt Leis also reminded the public they could provide information anonymously and securely.

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'Kidnapping' victim 'made up story'

Former tycoon Kevin McGeever said he made up an elaborate tale to escape financial pressure.  

AN Irish property developer who alleged he was kidnapped and held captive for eight months made up the extraordinary story, it has been claimed.

Kevin McGeever reportedly came clean after being arrested on suspicion of wasting police time on Thursday.

The former tycoon from Mayo - who was emaciated and disorientated when found wandering a roadside barefoot - said he made up the elaborate tale to escape financial pressure.

Police sources said the 68-year-old caved under questioning, according to the Sunday Independent.

The newspaper reported the cash-strapped McGeever admitted to staging his kidnapping and subsequent release to keep investors off his back.

His plan went awry when the couple who found him wandering the Cavan-Leitrim border on January 29 insisted on bringing him to a police station, which led to a full-scale investigation.

McGeever, who had lost about 32kg, claimed he had been abducted at gunpoint from his gated mansion in May last year.

The businessman had the word "thief" inked on his forehead when he was found. His beard had grown out and his finger nails had not been cut for months.

He has since admitted the eight-month ruse was an attempt to get breathing space from people hounding him for cash.

He also hoped they would leave him alone following his emergence from the alleged captivity for fear they might become suspects in the "abduction", the Sunday Independent reported.

McGeever said he lived in self-imposed exile in a remote part of the west of Ireland.

He was quizzed by police for 24 hours but released without charge on Friday night.

A police spokesman said on Sunday a file was being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

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Hathaway the next Oscar Curse victim?

Newlyweds: Anne Hathaway and husband Adam Shulman tied the knot in September last year. Picture: Getty Images Source: Getty Images

IT'S one of the age-old myths surrounding the Academy Awards, but Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman's marriage will face the test of the Oscar Curse if Hathaway wins the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

The Les Miserables star will be crossing her fingers and toes in the hope that she will take home the prestigious award, but if her name is called then the odds of her having a long and happy marriage will be slashed dramatically.

The newlyweds tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in September 2012.

Female winners of the prestigious award are 63 per cent more likely to have a shorter marriage than those who do not win.

Out of the 266 married women who have been nominated for the Best Actress award since the Oscars began in 1936, 159 of them got divorced.

Winners of the top gong are 1.68 times more likely to head to the divorce court than those who don't win.

The most recent casualty of the winner's curse was Sandra Bullock, whose marriage to Jesse James dissolved within days of her claiming the prize for her role in The Blind Side in 2010, amid accusations he had been unfaithful.

Prior to this, Kate Winslet won the Academy Award for her performance in The Reader in 2009. A year later her marriage to Sam Mendes fell apart.

Despite this, studies have shown that there is virtually no change in the status of married men.

Other victims who have fallen victim to the curse include:

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe after Reese was awarded the Oscar back in 2006 for Walk the Line.

Renee Zellweger and Jack White after Zellweger won Best Supporting Actress for Cold Mountain in 2004.

Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend after Theron won Best Actress for her role in Monster in 2003.

Halle Berry and Eric Bennet after Berry was recognised for her part in Monsters Ball in 2002.

Julia Roberts and Benjamin Bratt after Roberts won the award for Erin Brokovitch in 2001.

Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini after Ingrid won her second Best Actress award in 1956 for Anastasia, the director of which was her husband Rossellini.

Joan Crawford divorced her third husband in 1946 a year after winning an Oscar for Mildred Pierce.

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