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Royal Commission Hears Paedophile Wants to Protect Archbishop Aspinall

By Kim Landers
World Today
January 29, 2016

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2015/s4396482.htm?site=hobart

KIM LANDERS: Let's go now to the Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission in Hobart.

A convicted paedophile has agreed he'd prefer that his evidence worked to protect the reputation of the Anglican Church and the archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall.

But former priest Robin Goodfellow has denied he'd lie on oath to achieve that goal.

The royal commission is examining how the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania and the Church of England Boys Society handled dozens of abuse allegations from the 1970s to the early 2000s.

Samantha Donovan is following the hearings and joins me now.

Samantha, remind us what the commission has heard about Archbishop Phillip Aspinall's involvement in this episode?

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Well, Kim, the survivor witness BYF has told the royal commission that in 1982 when he was a teenager, he was staying at the Anglican rectory in Triabunna on Tasmania's east coast.

The priest, Garth Hawkins lived there.

Now BYF was there with Phillip Aspinall who was then in his early 20s and a leader of the Church of England Boys Society, also known as CEBS, in Tasmania.

Now BYF gave evidence that Phillip Aspinall volunteered him or persuaded him to sleep in Hawkins' bed despite the fact BYF had already told Phillip Aspinall, he said, that he didn't like the way Hawkins was behaving towards him.

And the commission has heard that Hawkins then subjected BYF to a violent rape and other abuse.

Now Phillip Aspinall, who's now the archbishop of Brisbane has always denied that allegation and will give evidence next week.

Late yesterday Garth Hawkins, who's changed his name to Robin Goodfellow, told the commission that Aspinall and a few other young men who were staying at the rectory that night did cajole BYF into sleeping in his bed but his evidence has changed this morning.

KIM LANDERS: So what has Robin Goodfellow told the commission this morning?

SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Well, under cross-examination by counsel for archbishop Phillip Aspinall, Goodfellow gave evidence that he in fact had no memory of how BYF got into his bed that night in 1982.

Now BYF's lawyer, Martine Marich, has challenged Robin Goodfellow, formerly Garth Hawkins, on his change in evidence.

She referred him to a statement he made to lawyers more than a decade ago that he'd prefer to keep Phillip Aspinall's name out of any reference to his crimes and Dr Marich put this to Robin Goodfellow this morning.

MARTINE MARICH: And that intent continues to this time, that you would prefer to keep Phillip Aspinall's name from being mentioned because of damage control for the church, is that correct?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: Yes.

MARTINE MARICH: You have a loyalty to Mr Phillip Aspinall, don't you?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: I do.

MARTINE MARICH: And you would be prepared to lie on oath to minimise the damage control for the church and to Mr Aspinall, would you not?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: No.

MARTINE MARICH: Now, you remember Mr Aspinall being at the scene at Triabunna?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: Yes.

MARTINE MARICH: And you remember BYF telling you when he was in your bed, about to be abused, the others have sent me here. Do you remember that?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: Yes.

MARTINE MARICH: You remember the incident at Triabunna and his words? You do?

UNKNOWN: Oh, well, let him answer.

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: Um, yes.

MARTINE MARICH: You accept Mr Aspinall was present when you abused Mr BYF at Triabunna?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: Yes.

MARTINE MARICH: You accept that you invited someone to share your big bed and Mr Aspinall was present when you extended that invitation?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: Yes.

MARTINE MARICH: And you accept Mr BYF joined you in bed and reported that he had been cajoled to do so by Mr Aspinall and the others?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: Yes.

MARTINE MARICH: And the answers to the questions put to you by Mr Aspinall's counsel suggesting you have no memory of that are actually false. You do have a memory of that.

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: Yes.

MARTINE MARICH: And you are trying to accept the propositions that Mr Aspinall did not do that because of your continued sense of loyalty to Mr Aspinall?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: No.

MARTINE MARICH: Why did you accept that you had no memory of those particulars when Mr Aspinall's counsel was asking you those questions?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: I don't know. I don't recollect.

MARTINE MARICH: You don't recollect from 10 minutes ago?

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: No.

MARTINE MARICH: I suggest to you that that's untrue and that is an example of you having a selective memory.

ROBIN GOODFELLOW: No, no. I deny that. I have a defective memory, not a selective memory.

KIM LANDERS: The convicted paedophile and former Anglican priest Robin Goodfellow. Samantha Donovan is our reporter covering the royal commission hearings.

 

 

 

 

 




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