More jail time means Gerald Ridsdale is ‘likely to die in custody’

Australia’s most prolific paedophile priest, Gerald Ridsdale, is likely to die in prison after having his jail time increased again following another sentence for sexually abusing boys.

Ridsdale, due to turn 86 next week, was 25 years into a 33-year sentence and was eligible for parole in April 2022.

But his earliest release date is now April 8, 2025, after he was sentenced in the Melbourne County Court on Thursday for the abuse of another four boys in western Victoria in the 1970s.

Judge Gerard Mullaly set a maximum 10-year term with a non-parole period of four years for the 14 charges.

Taking into account Ridsdale’s age and the likelihood of him dying in jail, three of those years are to be served cumulatively with the sentences he was already in jail for.