Lawyers for Marist Brothers face questions over advice to keep serial offender out of ‘legal arena’
News Source
•Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:00:47 GMT
📰 What Happened
Lawyers for the Marist Brothers, a Catholic order, have been subpoenaed. They must explain a secret 2009 letter about a serial child abuser. The letter advised keeping Brother Kostka Chute away from the legal arena.
The lawyers wrote that Chute had high honesty and integrity levels. They said he might implicate senior church officials. They also called him a good man, not a classic predator.
The firm, Carroll O'Dea, told the ACT supreme court it would stop representing the order. The trial has stopped and may not resume until next year.
🔍 The Backstory
The case was brought by a survivor known as CQ. He says he was abused by Chute in 1985 and 1986. The abuse happened at Marist College Canberra.
Complaints about Chute have come from Marist schools in six places. That includes Randwick, Bondi, Lismore and Canberra. The child abuse royal commission examined the letter in 2014. It did not call the letter's author to give evidence.
The then head of the order, Br Jeffrey Crowe, was asked about it. He agreed it gave some impression of liability. Guardian Australia understands 15 cases against the order involve Chute.
🎯 Why It Matters
The letter suggests lawyers helped keep a known abuser away from the courts. Survivors want to know who is accountable for that advice.
Lawyers for the Marist Brothers, a Catholic order, have been subpoenaed. They must explain a secret 2009 letter about a serial child abuser. The letter advised keeping Brother Kostka Chute away from the legal arena.
The lawyers wrote that Chute had high honesty and integrity levels. They said he might implicate senior church officials. They also called him a good man, not a classic predator.
The firm, Carroll O'Dea, told the ACT supreme court it would stop representing the order. The trial has stopped and may not resume until next year.
The case was brought by a survivor known as CQ. He says he was abused by Chute in 1985 and 1986. The abuse happened at Marist College Canberra.
Complaints about Chute have come from Marist schools in six places. That includes Randwick, Bondi, Lismore and Canberra. The child abuse royal commission examined the letter in 2014. It did not call the letter's author to give evidence.
The then head of the order, Br Jeffrey Crowe, was asked about it. He agreed it gave some impression of liability. Guardian Australia understands 15 cases against the order involve Chute.
The letter suggests lawyers helped keep a known abuser away from the courts. Survivors want to know who is accountable for that advice.