Detective Peter Fox 'failed to probe' pedophile priest Denis McAlinden A NSW POLICE detective failed to pursue a line of inquiry about a pedophile priest that, a decade later, allowed other officers to uncover evidence suggesting the Catholic church knew about these crimes, an inquiry has heard. In 2002, the NSW special commission of inquiry has heard, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox asked a retired bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, Leo Clarke, if he had any knowledge of two alleged victims of the priest. The late bishop Clarke replied "No, you would have to ask (the then bishop) Michael Malone about that." Detective Fox did not, however, subsequently ask Bishop Malone about the priest, Denis McAlinden, the inquiry heard. Nor did he do so during a formal police interview with the bishop the following year, in which they discussed a different pedophile priest. During cross-examination of the policeman, Bishop Malone's barrister, Simon Harben SC, asked "Here was a perfect opportunity for an investigator of your experience to pursue a line of inquiry, wasn't it?" "Yes," Detective Fox replied. You could have gone and seen Bishop Malone and made the same inquiry of him? Mr Harben asked. "Yes," the policeman replied, saying he had previously believed Clarke's response represented "a dead end to that particular rumour." When other detectives approached Bishop Malone last year, the inquiry heard, he granted permission for the release of several documents revealing the church knew McAlinden was abusing children as early as 1954. McAlinden died in 2005, without being charged by NSW Police. Bishop Malone is expected to give evidence to the inquiry on Friday.