in 2007 gregory ferguson was sentenced to two years jail (eligible for parole after 12 months) for offences in 1971 against two boys aged 13 at marist college, burnie, tasmania. on 13 december 2007 he was sentenced to an additional three years jail for offences against a third boy. in 2008 a jury found former priest roger michael bellemore guilty on three counts of maintaining a sexual relationship with a young person under the age of 17 years in the 1960s and 1970s while he was at the same college. by december 2018, six priests who taught at the college had been convicted of committing acts of sexual abuse.