from skynews.com.au: Confidential police reports have detailed the suicides of at least 40 people sexually abused by Catholic clergy in Victoria, Fairfax Media says. The reports say the church appears to have known about a shockingly high rate of suicides and premature deaths but has chosen to remain silent, according to The Age newspaper. The reports, written by Detective Sergeant Kevin Carson, urge a new inquiry into these and many other deaths suspected to be linked to abuse in the church. Investigators discovered an inordinate number of suicides which appear to be a result of sexual offending while inquiring into paedophile clergy. They linked at least 40 suicides to the sexual abuse perpetrated by a small number of paedophile clergy, including Gerard Ridsdale, Bryan Coffey, Paul Ryan, Robert Best and Edward Dowlan. Most of the victims were abused between the 1960s and late 1980s. One of the reports says it would appear an investigation would uncover many more deaths as a consequence of clergy sexual abuse.