Australian sacrilege cases 2

This pages considers sacrilege cases and controversies in Australia.

It covers -

• introduction
• cases

     introduction

There have been a handful of convictions for sacrilege over the past fifty years, typically as surrogates for property offences and involving petty theft or arson by people with psychological problems or substance abuse problems.

Controversy has centred on claims by people who committed (or were alleged to have committed) sacrilege in another jurisdiction - for example Pakistan - and have sought refuge in Australia to escape punishment in those jurisdictions, eg N03/46242 [2003] RRTA 628 (1 July 2003) (here) and SZEUX v Minister for Immigration & Anor [2005] FMCA 1768 (1 December 2005) (here).

     cases

Examples of recent Australian cases include -

• Re Patrick Anthony Murrell v R [1985] FCA 14; 4 FCR 168 (6 February 1985) - here
  appeal by offender with drug and alcohol problems. "The first crime of sacrilege occurred between 16 and 19 September 1980, when he broke and entered the Greek Orthodox Church in Kingston and stole $1.50. The second occurred on 7 December 1980 when he broke and entered the Salvation Army Temple at Braddon and stole money and securities to the value of $2,619. Of this amount $645.69 was recovered by the police. On the third occasion, 30 April 1981, he stole a wallet containing $4.00 from St. John the Baptist Church at Reid"
• R v Ho [2004] SADC 130 (24 September 2004) - here
  mentally incompetent offender charged charged with Sacrilege, Attempted Arson and Damaging Property under the Criminal Law Consolidation Act (SA). "Ho entered the United Vietnamese Buddhist Temple at Pennington. He was in a mentally confused state, but he was not then under the influence of drugs. Inside the Temple he pushed over and damaged a large statue of Buddha and broke various vases and glassware and damaged other property. He lit four fires which damaged carpets and doors in the building, but they were extinguished before they did any major damage. Police apprehended Ho in the Temple while he was still lighting fires."
• R v Peters [2005] VSC 373 (23 September 2005) - here
  sentencing of psychotic prisoner, including reference to sacrilege in South Australia - "On 29 June 2001, you were sentenced in the Central District Criminal Court of the State of South Australia on 7 counts of sacrilege, 6 counts of breaking entering and committing a felony and 5 other offences."
• John Alexander Marlow v Ross Cleveland Stranger [1987] ACTSC 17 (19 March 1987) - here
  including reference to previous offence in the ACT - "On 14 June 1983 in the A.C.T. Children's Court he was found guilty of seven charges of larceny, three charges of break and enter with intent, one charge of malicious injury, one charge of being unlawfully in a building, 12 charges of break, enter and steal and one charge of sacrilege. In respect of all those offences he was committed to an institution generally and that committal was suspended on his entering into a recognisance self in the sum of $200 ..."
  

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