A former Catholic priest, accused of 139 child sexual offences spanning four decades, has died awaiting trial.
David Joseph Perrett, 82, was accused of assaulting 40 victims across eight parishes between the 1960s to 1990s, and had a trial date set for January 2021.
At his last appearance in court, in November 2019, Mr Perrett pleaded not guilty to the 139 charges.
In a statement, Bishop of Armidale Michael Kennedy said Perrett's death would bring "significant disappointment" for alleged victims.
"His death means that survivors will not get to see these charges heard in court," Bishop Kennedy said.
Alleged victims as young as three
The offences allegedly took place when the children were aged from three years old to their mid-teens.
Thirty-seven of the complainants are men and three are women.
The charges include acts of indecency, buggery, carnal knowledge, and maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child under 16.
Bishop Kennedy said the Diocese of Armidale has "zero tolerance of abuse" and provides ongoing support to victims.
"I again apologise to all victims and their families for the harm caused to them by people representing the church."
It was alleged Mr Perrett committed the offences in Armidale, Guyra, Walgett, Moree, Penrith, Bundarra, Lower Creek, and Sawtell.
He was granted strict conditional bail by the Supreme Court in April 2019.
A private funeral was held for Mr Perrett, who died on July 2, 2020 in Armidale.
