Former US priest faces trial for sex abuse

American clergyman accused of abusing children younger than 14 in a home for disadvantaged youth that he founded and ran.

The trial of a defrocked American priest charged with sexually abusing young girls at his shelter for orphans and children from impoverished families in East Timor has begun on Tuesday.

Richard Daschbach, 84, a former missionary from Pennsylvania, faces 14 counts of sexual abuse of children younger than 14 years old, as well as one count each of child pornography and domestic violence, according to the prosecutor general. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Timor’s children

It is the first  in the Southeast Asian nation of about three million people, where 97 percent of the population is Catholic.

Some 100 supporters of Daschbach showed up but were denied entry to the courtroom for the closed proceedings, which have sharply divided by the country.
The case has pitted families and politicians against one another, with tensions so high accusers fear they will be targeted with violence if publicly identified.

Xanana Gusmao, former President  was briefly present in the courtroom with Daschbach on Tuesday. The former revolutionary leader is still powerful in the country and some including his own children have questioned why he is publicly supporting a man accused of abusing children.

15 accusers

The alleged abuse occurred for years at Topu Honis, a children’s home that Daschbach founded and ran, taking in hundreds of disadvantaged youth, providing them with food, clothing, shelter and schooling.

At least 15 females have since come forward, reports said. But foreign donors who once supported Daschbach believe there are likely many more victims; possibly hundreds.

An official at the Catholic church in East Timor’s capital, Dili, said that Daschbach was defrocked in 2018 after he confessed to sexually abusing the children.

The female accusers have alleged everything from fondling and oral sex to rape. Former donors also said he admitted it to them.

Last month, the former priest said his message to the children in the orphanage is this: “Be patient. We won’t meet again because I will be detained for life, but I will still remember you and you have to be happy there.”

Daschbach, who also secured American funding, is also wanted in the US for three counts of wire fraud. An Interpol Red Notice has been issued for his arrest.

Olawunmi Sadiq/Reuters