Former Catholic brother refused bail

A former Catholic brother facing hundreds of child sexual abuse charges has been refused bail at a Sydney court.

Bernard McGrath, 66, was extradited from New Zealand to Australia earlier this month.

He did not apply for bail when he appeared at Parramatta Local Court via video link on Monday afternoon, and bail was formally refused.

He is facing a total 252 charges, including 102 counts of indecent assaults on males.

The allegations date back to the 1970s and 1980s.

Detectives had started extradition proceedings against McGrath, who is a New Zealand citizen, in November 2011.

He is set to face Central Local Court via video link on February 12.