South Australian Catholic priest jailed for child porn

A Catholic priest who says he was interested in finding out "what makes young males tick" has been jailed for at least 10 months for possessing child pornography.

Fr Stanislaus Hogan, 70, had 1555 child pornography images, as well as magazines, videos and books, in his locked bedroom at the Jesuit St Ignatius College in Athelstone in Adelaide.

The former teacher pleaded guilty in the District Court to an aggravated count of possessing child pornography and to using a carriage service to access child pornography.

In jailing Hogan on Friday for two-and-a-half years with a non-parole period of 10 months, Judge Peter Brebner said the priest had assembled the child pornography collection over a long period.

The material included magazines and videos bought decades ago and books, including a case study of a pedophile and a psychological analysis of a pedophilia.

The judge accepted that Hogan used the books to try to understand himself, but said he also possessed the material for prurient purposes.

Hogan had struggled to reconcile his religious, ethical and philosophical beliefs with his sexual orientation and his prurient interest in child pornography, Judge Brebner said.

Hogan was plainly an intelligent and scholarly man, who had a long and distinguished career teaching in Jesuit schools and whose conduct with students was always impeccable.

He told police he was more interested in males than females and "more interested in what makes young males tick".

Hogan, who has applied to be released from the Jesuit order and laicised, was well on the way to complete rehabilitation but the serious offending warranted imprisonment, the judge said.

The Provincial of the Australian Jesuits, Fr Brian McCoy, later said in a statement that any form of abuse or exploitation of children was repugnant to the order's values.

He apologised "particularly to students, families and staff in our Jesuit schools who have felt disillusioned, shocked and saddened by the criminal behaviour of a once well-respected priest and teacher".