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Melbourne monk sentenced to 13 years for child abuse

Read the original at The Sydney Morning Herald ↗
Cite

Ton, W. (2026, October 8). Melbourne monk sentenced to 13 years for child abuse. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/melbourne-monk-sentenced-to-13-years-for-child-abuse-20261008-p613so.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Sydney Morning Herald · collected 2026-10-08 · by William Ton

Quick Summary

Naotunne Vijitha, a former Buddhist head monk in Melbourne, was sentenced to at least nine years and four months in prison for sexually abusing six girls between 1994 and 2002 when they were as young as four years old. The victims testified about the lifelong trauma caused by his abuse during his trial earlier this year, where he was convicted on 17 out of 19 charges. Despite the severity of the crimes and lack of remorse shown by Vijitha, some supporters praised him in court, angering survivors who were present at the sentencing hearing.
Written by AI on 2026-10-08, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Naotunne Vijitha, a 71-year-old Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka who became the chief monk at the Dhamma Sarana temple in Melbourne's south-east, was sentenced to 13 years and two months for sexually abusing six girls between 1994 and 2002. The victims ranged in age from four to twelve years old when they were abused. Despite pleading not guilty, Judge Pardeep Tiwana stated that Vijitha's crimes constituted a "betrayal" of trust and described him as someone with a "dark and disturbing side." The judge noted that each victim who testified was "truthful, intelligent, and articulate," while also expressing hope that Vijitha would reflect on the impact his actions had on their lives. After being sentenced, supporters lauded Vijitha in court despite the victims' disbelief at the reactions, with one describing it as "ridiculous." Vijitha is likely to be deported after serving his sentence and has indicated he is willing to return to Sweden.

Written for “Melbourne Monk Child Abuse Sentencing” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Melbourne Monk Child Abuse Sentencing
Crime & Law · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Monk who preyed on girls at Melbourne temple handed 13-year sentence Same event
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 0 of 25 claims Outlet record 68/100
Former monk jailed for child sexual abuse at Melbourne temples Same event
The Sydney Morning Herald
Outlet record 61/100
Revered Aboriginal community leader who raped and sexually abused four children had jail sentence reduced because of his efforts to keep his culture alive: 'You've done it tough' Different event
Daily Mail
Hedges 1 of 30 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different incidents involving separate individuals, distinct crimes, and occurring in different locations.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-08 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 5842 article(s) · 15 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

William Ton
2 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 A number of witnesses would be called to give evidence in a pre-sentence hearing where contextual facts would be contested, Sewell’s lawyer Dermot Dann, KC, said.
2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Neo-Nazi leader says provocation led to Indigenous camp violence
🔮 He would lure children to the spaces with lollies, toys and books while their parents helped out at the temple.
2026-10-08 · assertive framing · Melbourne monk sentenced to 13 years for child abuse
Also by William Ton
Neo-Nazi leader says provocation led to Indigenous camp violence
2026-10-28 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Buddhist Melbourne Springvale Swedish Victorian County Court

Subjects

Vijitha PERSON · 5× Melbourne GPE · 2× Tiwana PERSON · 2× Buddhist NORP · 1× Keysborough GPE · 1× Naotunne Vijitha PERSON · 1× Pardeep Tiwana PERSON · 1× Springvale GPE · 1× Swedish NORP · 1× Victorian County Court ORG · 1×

Narrative

Vijitha continues to deny any responsibility and has expressed no remorse, the judge said. “I hope after hearing these victim impact statements, you are able to reflect on the turmoil you’ve caused on their lives,” he said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-08
🔮 He would lure children to the spaces with lollies, toys and books while their parents helped out at the temple.
2026-10-08 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Melbourne monk sentenced to 13 years for child abuse · assertive framing

Claims (21 extracted, 0 hedged)

Victims of a remorseless former Buddhist head monk who targeted young children have expressed disbelief as he was lauded by supporters while being led to prison. asserted
he → target → prison
Naotunne Vijitha, 71, closed his eyes as he was sentenced for sexually abusing girls as young as four at his temple. asserted
he → close → temple
Decades on from the monk’s “egregious” offending, Victorian County Court Judge Pardeep Tiwana on Thursday jailed Vijitha for a minimum of nine years and four months. asserted
Tiwana → jail → years
“People in positions of authority like you provide solace and direction to many,” Tiwana said. asserted
Tiwana → provide → many
“When that is betrayed, a significant term of imprisonment must follow.” asserted
term → betray → imprisonment
Inside the packed courtroom, Vijitha smiled, waved and spoke to supporters who bowed to him as he was being led out of the dock. asserted
he → smile → dock
His victims sat watching on, with one labelling the support “ridiculous”. asserted
one → sit → support
Do they not have ears?” she said. asserted
she → have → ears
The abuse began in 1994 after the Swedish national moved to Melbourne to become head monk of the Dhamma Sarana Buddhist temple at Springvale in Melbourne’s south-east. asserted
national → begin → east
It continued until 2002, after the temple relocated to Keysborough. asserted
temple → continue → Keysborough
The six victims were aged between four and 12 years old when they were abused inside Vijitha’s living quarters, a prayer room and at Sunday school. asserted
they → age → school
He would lure children to the spaces with lollies, toys and books while their parents helped out at the temple. asserted
parents → lure → temple
He was found guilty on 17 of 19 charges of sexual penetration and committing an indecent act with a child under 16 by a jury in October 2025, and acquitted of two indecent act charges. asserted
He → find → charges
Several victims provided impact statements to the court, describing the lifelong trauma Vijitha’s abuse has had on them. asserted
abuse → provide → them
One woman, now in her 30s, said parts of her nine-year-old self would “never come back”. asserted
parts → say → self
“He didn’t just violate my body,” she previously told the court. “He poisoned my faith that I was born into.” asserted
I → violate → that
Another victim said her greatest achievement in “the face of pure evil” was that she lived a life of kindness and empathy. asserted
she → say → kindness
Judge Tiwana set a head sentence of 13 years and two months, describing how the monk used his power to exploit young children and “transgressed every boundary”. asserted
monk → set → boundary
“The parents had no concerns about the safety of their child in your presence,” he said. “You betrayed this immense trust in the most unexpected way.” asserted
You → have → way
Vijitha continues to deny any responsibility and has expressed no remorse, the judge said. “I hope after hearing these victim impact statements, you are able to reflect on the turmoil you’ve caused on their lives,” he said. asserted
he → continue → lives
He has spent 343 days in pre-sentence detention and faces deportation upon release. asserted
He → spend → release
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