The spiritual leader of a Buddhist temple in Melbourne has appeared in court on historical child sex abuse charges allegedly committed against three children.
Vijitha Naotunne, 68, attended the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday for a filing hearing of 13 charges dating back as far as the mid-1990s.
He is charged with nine counts of sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16 and four counts of indecent act with a child under 16.
Police will allege Mr Naotunne came in contact with the three children through his role at a temple in Melbourne’s southeast.
According to charge documents filed in the court, the alleged offences occurred between 1996 and 2004 and involved school items, including a pink eraser and plastic ruler.
Eight of the alleged sex offences allegedly occurred in Springvale between 1996 and 1998, while the remaining allegedly occurred between 2001-2003.
Mr Naotunne was placed on bail and will return to court later this year.
According to the Dhamma Sarana Buddhist Temple’s website, Mr Naotunne arrived in Australia in 1993 to be the resident monk at a temple in Springvale.
In 2001, he moved to another temple, where the website says he conducted a “very successful” Sunday school attended by more than 300 children.
“His rapport and popularity with children has been exceptionally noteworthy,” the website reads.
Victoria Police say the investigation into the alleged historical sex crimes continues.
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