David Edwin Rapson was in 2015 found guilty of sexually abusing boys, aged between 11 and 16, at two Victorian boarding schools in the 1970s and 1980s.

He is serving 12 years and six months in prison, with a non-parole period of nine years and four months.

Rapson, 69, appeared in the Supreme Court of Tasmania in Hobart on Friday, after pleading guilty to three counts of indecent assault against three boys in the 1980s.

One survivor told the court the sexual abuse destroyed his faith in the Catholic church and people in general.

“(Rapson’s) actions caused my family relationships at the time to disintegrate and sent me into self-destructive behaviour, drug addiction, prostitution and petty crime,” he said.

He said he has dealt with decades of self-loathing and carrying blame and shame.

Crown prosecutor Elizabeth Avery read the statement of another survivor who said Rapson bought him cigarettes and alcohol.

The survivor said he struggled to maintain relationships, had turned to alcohol to cope and attempted suicide when he found out about Rapson’s abuse in Victoria.

“I couldn’t forget what Father Rapson had done to me. No matter how hard (I tried) I couldn’t get it from my mind,” he said.

Rapson, who was charged with the Tasmanian offences in 2019, was extradited to the island state in May after lengthy delays.

Avery said in April 2021 Tasmania’s attorney-general wrote to her Victorian counterpart formally requesting a prison transfer.

Avery said her office followed up about 20 times and received various responses including references to COVID-19.

She said the delays caused “significant frustrations” for the survivors in particular.

She said Rapson’s offending was a breach of trust at a profound level and that he took advantage of young people for his own gratification.

Rapson is expected to be sentenced on July 6.

Defence lawyer Kim Baumeler argued Rapson should be allowed to serve his sentence in Victoria, where he has family support.

She said he had undergone significant rehabilitation.

Rapson was originally jailed for 13 years in 2013 for the historical Victorian offences, but the Court of Appeal quashed his rape and sexual assault convictions 12 months later.

He was found guilty in three new trials in early 2015.

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-AAP