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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 locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Naotunne Vijitha, a 71-year-old Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka who became 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 aged between four and 12. The abuse occurred between 1994 and 2002 when the temple was located in Springvale, before moving to Keysborough. Judge Pardeep Tiwana described Vijitha's actions as a "betrayal" of trust, noting that he preyed on young girls for his own sexual gratification. Despite pleading not guilty, Vijitha faces likely deportation after serving his sentence and has expressed willingness to return to Sweden. His victims testified about the impact of his crimes during the trial, with one describing the support given to Vijitha in court as "ridiculous."
Written for “Monk Child Abuse Sentence” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 64732 · logged 2026-10-08
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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