Police Were Not Alerted to Boys" Abuse

By Andrew Drummond
7 News
January 29, 2016

https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/30681567/sex-offender-evidence-continues/

Tasmania's Anglican community was Sue Clayton's life in the 1980s, but after hearing reports of sexual abuse by a priest and disagreeing with how the church handled the allegations, her world started to crumble.

Confidential revelations in 1987 by two teenage boys that they had been molested prompted the school teacher to arrange a meeting with Bishop Phillip Newell to express her concerns.

She told a royal commission hearing on Friday she had faith the senior clergy would deal with the matter.

"You are to speak to no one about this," she said she was told by Bishop Newell at the end of the meeting.

"These matters were of a confidential nature."

At a subsequent meeting Ms Clayton suggested police become involved, but the bishop disagreed.

"As it had not progressed beyond fondling there would be no need to bring the police into it at this point," she recounted the leader's words.

But a year later when the alleged offender Louis Daniels was promoted to archdeacon, the third-highest rank among the state's church leaders, Ms Clayton wondered what had happened to the inquiry.

Bishop Newell's lawyer Neil Clelland QC said it had been the victims' wish that the matter not be escalated.

"It was communicated to the bishop that the boys wanted the matter ... kept confidential," Mr Clelland said.

"They didn't want their parents informed, they didn't want police action."

But Ms Clayton said there was no encouragement on the part of Bishop Newell for the boys to go to police, which she thought would have been appropriate.

In the early 1990s Ms Clayton severed ties with the church and left Australia, but wonders if she could have done more to stop the sexual abuse of boys.

"I'm often plagued with deep feelings of remorse and regret.

"I need to be constantly reminded that I was a young, inexperienced and naive woman battling with the highest authority in the Tasmanian diocese."

Ronald Francis Stone was Tasmania's assistant bishop between 1992 and 1996 and forced Daniels' 1994 resignation.

Giving evidence on Friday, Bishop Stone said he was first alerted to Daniels' inappropriate behaviour in March 1994.

He wanted the allegation to go to a diocese tribunal but said Bishop Newell cited insufficient evidence.

Later the same year when another victim took a complaint to police, Bishop Stone said his former superior was devastated.

"He was physically distressed, as well as emotionally distressed," he said of Bishop Newell.

"He was tearful ... that something as serious as this has just been communicated to him, under his watch."

Daniels was subsequently jailed for offences against 11 boys.

He is one of four lay and clergy men who have been convicted of child sex offences against boys.

They include Garth Hawkins (now known as Robin Goodfellow), Simon Jacobs and John Elliot.

A fifth man, Robert Brandenburg, died before he could face court on multiple charges.

Each had links to the Church of England Boys' Society and the commission is looking at how diocese in Tasmania, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane responded to allegations of abuse.