Melbourne Buddhist Monk Naotunne Vijitha Jailed for 13 Years for Sexually Abusing Young Girls

A 71-year-old Buddhist monk who sexually abused six young girls at a Melbourne temple has been sentenced to 13 years and two months in jail. The monk, who was found guilty of multiple counts of sexual penetration and indecent acts with children, was told by the judge that his crimes were a "betrayal" of trust.

Naotunne Vijitha, the former chief monk at the Dhamma Sarana temple in Melbourne's south-east, was sentenced in court recently after being found guilty of nine counts of sexual penetration of a child and eight counts of committing an indecent act with a child. The victims, who were young girls attending the temple in Springvale and Keysborough between 1994 and 2002, were lured into Vijitha's living quarters where they were sexually abused.

"You preyed on young, innocent girls for your own perverse sexual gratification," Judge Pardeep Tiwana said. "You took away their innocence in a place of worship where they were entitled to feel safe, a place where they came to learn and practice their Buddhist teachings."

The monk will have to serve a minimum of nine years and four months before becoming eligible for parole. During a short break after the sentence was passed, Vijitha beamed at supporters, some of whom approached the court dock and bowed in his direction. When angry victims voiced their displeasure, court security guards stopped the monk from chatting with others.

"This is ridiculous," one victim said out loud.

Vijitha's victims were left with long-lasting trauma, with one victim stating, "To survive, I had to teach myself not to feel." In a victim impact statement, the woman detailed how the sight of saffron robes or the sounds of monks chanting caused her mental distress. "She now lives in fear that she and her family will be branded liars, attention seekers or temple destroyers for holding you to account," Judge Tiwana said.

The judge described Vijitha as a man who had "a dark and disturbing side," and said his crimes had haunted his victims for decades, leaving them burdened by shame and fear. Vijitha's lawyers previously submitted that he was in poor health and suffered from a range of conditions, including dementia.

Vijitha faces the prospect of deportation at the end of his sentence and was willing to return to Sweden, where he gained "profound respect" from the temple's devotees. Judge Tiwana said, "You betrayed this immense trust in the most unexpected and egregious manner."