Captain Oppo.

You are 77 years of age.

You were born in Ballarat, where you grew up, were educated and then ordained.

You then obtained a doctor of philosophy from Oxford University before returning to Australia to work by 1996 year appointed archbishop off Melvin before being appointed archbishop of Sydney in 2014.

You're appointed its first prefect for the secretary secretary off the economy at the Vatican.

At this time you moved to Ryan, where you remained until this matter arrives self evident that you have experienced an exceptional career within the Catholic Church.

You are clearly an intelligent and hardworking main That brings me to consider your last contribution and your good character evidence softener offenders.

Otherwise, could character is affect, er that the sentencing judge is bound to consider you have no prior convictions since this offending you have not committed other offenses.

I have received a number of character references on the plate.

These references come from people who have known you for many years in various professional and personal capacities.

They speak of a man who dedicated his life to service, in particular to vulnerable members of the community.

They described a compassionate and generous person, especially to those experiencing difficulties in their lives, someone who has a dick, commitment to social justice issues and the advancement of education for young people.

I note that these references were not challenged or contradicted by the prosecution.

In addition to not having any prior convictions, I am satisfied that the evidence before me is that you are someone who has been in the last 22 years since the offending of otherwise good character.

I send it to you upon the basis that these episodes view together constitute isolated, offending.

I make substantial allowance for your good character and otherwise blameless life.

However, the question of your good character is also relevant to other sentencing purposes.

I will return to these issues in due course.

I turned out to your age and health.

Your age is a significant factor in my sentencing exercise, as I've indicated before yours.

Now in your light seventies, it is relevant in a number of lines off some real importance in my sensing exercises.

The fact that each year you spend in custody will represent a substantial portion off your remaining life expectancy.

While it is a matter of speculation as to how long you live, the fact is that you are of advanced years and are entering the last phase of your life like anyone in the late seventies, your health will decline in time.

I am conscious that the term of impaired prisoner, which I'm about to impose upon you, carries with it a real as distinct from theoretical possibility that you may not leave to be released from prison.

Facing gile at your age in these circumstances must be an awful state of affairs for you.

You are also clearly someone with some significant enough health health issues.

Your health is also a relevant factor, and it's related to your age.

You have a significant history of cardiac problems and currently suffer from hypertension and congestive heart failure.

You have a jolt chain that pacemaker without while stable, out of custody.

It is the opinion of one of your trading doctors that stresses an aggravator to heart failure.

If your blood pressure is not controlled, your doctor has also observed that your blood pressure is being more difficult to control with stress.

You also have Austria artists, writers in both knees and recently I granted you about to undergo by electoral need surgery.

Your age and health also interacts with a number of other factors which I must consider, including the quality of your time in custody and your risk of re offending.

As to the former, one might anticipate the quality of your health will decline over time.

The medical evidence does indicate that your heart and blood pressure conditions will be aggravated by stress.

I have no doubt that you will experience some stress while in custody.

I will make allowance for these matters.

I turned out of the question of July the delay in your case since the offending is in the order of 22 years.

The lapse of time since the commission of the fences of this kind is, however not unusual.

It is often the case with defending such as yours that the victims did not come forward for many years after the offending.

That all, said the delay in this case doves have some consequences.

As I've already observed, you now fall to be sentenced to a not insubstantial term of imprisonment as a 77 year old man, and I've already touched upon what follows from this.

The delay also means that you have been able to demonstrate the capacity to lead an otherwise blameless life in the 22 years since the offending which, as I said, I will take into account.