Former Catholic Priest Jailed for Sexually Abusing Two Young Girls

A former Catholic priest, Robert James Hickman, 81, has been sentenced to two years and six months in jail for sexually abusing two young girls in foster care 36 years ago. Hickman, who has a history of sexual offences against children dating back to the late 1970s, pleaded guilty to sexual penetration of a child and indecent dealing with a child in Perth in 1990.

A Breach of Trust

WA District Court Judge Karen Shepherd described Hickman's actions as a "breach of trust" given his position, and too serious to justify a suspended term. The court heard that Hickman flew to Perth on official business in 1990 and attended a dinner with other members of the Catholic Church at the foster home of the two victims, who were aged 11 and 13 at the time.

The man the girls knew as "Father Bob" then went into their bedroom to give "goodnight prayers" and read out a bible story. He told one of the girls he was going to give her a "special blessing" before touching her indecently. The priest then groped the other girl in a similar manner before leaving the room, saying "goodnight girls, God bless, it was lovely to meet you".

Lasting Impact

The court heard that the girls had cried themselves to sleep after the incident. One girl reported the incident to the foster mother, who initially dismissed her as a liar. Nine years later, the foster mother reported the incident to the Catholic Church's WA Professional Standards Office, and received a letter of apology from Hickman.

In a statement read out in court, one of the victims described the impact of the abuse as "immeasurable". The woman said she had to carry the burden of having been sexually abused, and being told she was a liar, at a time when she was living in a new environment after her parents had died. She described Hickman as "a very evil soul".

The other victim provided a statement in which she said the abuse had changed her life "forever", but she had decided to forgive Hickman for her own mental health. "I choose not to give you any power from this day forward," she said in the statement.

Health Issues and Parole

Hickman's lawyer, Simon Freitag, said his client had served five years of a ten-year prison sentence in NSW, from 2015 to 2020, for sexual offences against multiple victims. He also received a suspended sentence and a community corrections order had been imposed for similar offending in 2024. Freitag said Hickman's offences occurred from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, but he had "not reoffended in decades... He is not presently a danger to children".

Hickman is recovering from cancer surgery and has several other health issues. He will be eligible for parole after serving 15 months in prison.