A former Brisbane Catholic school priest and teacher jailed for taking nude photographs of a schoolboy decades ago has won an appeal and had his convictions quashed.
The Court of Appeal today ruled in Michael Ambrose Endicott's favour, overturning his convictions for three counts of indecent dealing with a child and setting aside his 18-month prison sentence.
Mr Endicott's barrister Deborah Holliday had argued in the appeal hearing that his conviction should be quashed because at the time of the offences — Queensland law did not consider taking nude photographs of a child to be indecent dealing.
It was not until 1989 that the Criminal Code Act was expanded to include taking indecent photographs of a child a crime.
Mr Endicott, 75, was working as a teacher and priest at Villanova College in Coorparoo when he photographed a schoolboy nude three times between 1975 and 1981 on school grounds and at school excursions, the trial heard.
Last month, a District Court jury in Brisbane found him guilty of three indecent dealing charges, but acquitted him of five other counts.
He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, to be suspended after six months.
But today, the Court of Appeal delivered orders allowing his appeal, setting aside his convictions and sentence.
ABC/AAP
