Anglican ex-archbishop Peter Hollingworth was warned about paedophile, inquiry hears

By Emilie Gramenz
ABC News
February 2, 2016

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-02/former-anglican-archbishop-hollingworth-warned-about-paedophile/7132468

Former Governor General Dr Peter Hollingworth allowed a paedophile to continue as a priest despite a psychiatrist warning he posed a risk of re-offending.

Peter Hollingworth, a former Anglican archbishop of Brisbane and Australian governor-general, was warned a paedophile priest "posed a risk of re-offending", a psychiatrist has told an inquiry.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is investigating the Anglican Church and its youth group, the Church of England Boys Society (CEBS).

Brisbane psychiatrist Dr John Slaughter told a hearing in Hobart he consulted with Anglican priest John Elliot in 1993.

Mr Hollingworth had asked the psychiatrist to see Elliot after an allegation of abuse, and Elliot allowed information about the sessions to be relayed back to the then-archbishop, Dr Slaughter said.

The inquiry heard Elliot told Dr Slaughter about previous offences, disclosing that he remained sexually attracted to boys and preferred boys who were around puberty.

"He posed a risk of re-offending in the future," Dr Slaughter said.

Dr Slaughter relayed his opinion to Mr Hollingworth through a report, and during an informal conversation.

"I recall saying that people who are paedophiles will not or cannot change their sexual orientation," he said.

Dr Slaughter said he did not hear anything more about the matter until it became public, when Mr Hollingworth was governor-general.

"I then learnt that Archbishop Hollingworth had allowed Mr Elliot to continue as a priest with certain restrictions, notwithstanding my advice to him that Mr Elliot would not be able to control his sexual urges," he said.

Under cross-examination, it was put to Dr Slaughter that Elliot had expressed extreme remorse to him.

"Expressing remorse and showing remorse aren't the same thing," he replied.

The inquiry also heard Dr Slaughter did not feel it was his place to provide advice to Mr Hollingworth about whether Elliot should remain as a priest.

A witness known as BYA told the hearing he was separately abused by five men, including notorious Adelaide paedophile Robert Brandenburg, while he was a member of CEBS in the 1960s.

The hearing is also examining the possibility of a paedophile ring operating within CEBS between the 1960s and '90s.

Previous evidence has drawn links between Elliot, Brandenburg, Louis Daniels and Garth Hawkins.

BYA was first abused by a CEBS leader, referred to as BYV when he was 15, and was later abused by four more men connected to CEBS the inquiry heard.

BYA said he repressed the memories of his abuse, but began experiencing flashbacks after an accident in 2010.

"I now believe that the five of them were operating as some sort of group and perhaps exchanged information on which boys were vulnerable or approachable for sexual contact," he said.

Another survivor, Mark King, told the hearing he was groomed and abused while attending an Adelaide church between the ages of 10 and 14 in the 1960s.

"This abuse involved the encouragement by CEBS leaders of sexual activity between boys," he said.

"I was also sexually abused in a one-on-one context by at least one CEBS leader of the parish and by Robert Brandenburg, the State CEBS Commissioner."

Mr King said he did not tell anyone of the abuse for many years, until he suffered a breakdown when memories resurfaced in 1992.

In 1993, he met with then-Archdeacon of Adelaide, Brian Smith.

"Archdeacon Smith was aggressively defensive about Brandenburg," Mr King said.

"It struck me that Archdeacon Smith and Brandenburg were close friends."

Mr King said Archdeacon Smith vouched for Brandenburg's good character, saying he had known him for 30 years.

"He then said, well if it was such a long time ago, even if it did happen what's the point of bringing it up now?" he told the commission.

Brandenburg committed suicide in 1999, the day before he was due to face court on multiple charges relating to child sexual abuse.

The hearing heard in 2005 Mr King had been invited to meet with a new Archbishop of Adelaide, Jeffrey Driver.

He said Archbishop Driver began the meeting by saying "what's your story then?".

By this time Mr King had been campaigning for recognition and assistance by the church for abuse victims, including high-profile media stories disclosing his experiences.

"I asked him, as a senior churchman, what he had done previously when allegations of abuse had come to him," Mr King said.

"His answer was that times were different then."

Mr King criticised the Diocese of Adelaide's approach to financial and legal settlements.

He said the process was unfair and drawn out, designed to exhaust victims mentally and financially.

"When a payment finally came, it was presented as a pastoral gift and not an admission of guilt."

Louis Daniels was mentioned during earlier testimony on Tuesday, with the ex-girlfriend of the son of former Tasmanian bishop Philip Newell saying he "must have known" the paedophile priest had been abusing boys.

Catherine Hutchinson said she dated Christopher Newell for about five years in the 1980s.

Ms Hutchinson told the inquiry Christopher Newell made comments about the conduct of Daniels in 1984, prior to any official complaints being made.

"He said, when Lou Daniels is around at CEBS camps, there will be CEBS with sore bottoms," she said.

Counsel assisting Naomi Sharp then asked "did you ever pursue with Christopher Newell what he meant when he made these comments?"

"No, I didn't," Ms Hutchinson said.

"I think I just didn't really know what to say.

"Based on what I observed, I feel that Bishop Newell must have known about what Lou [Daniels] was doing to CEBS boys in 1984 and 1985."

Lawyers for Philip Newell said he and his wife both emphatically rejected that any comment of that kind had been made in their presence.

"Well, it's my memory that I did heard those things said," Ms Hutchinson replied.

In her evidence, Ms Hutchinson said she first met Daniels in 1980, as a member of the Youth Synod.

She said Christopher Newell was very involved with CEBS, and during their relationship they would discuss CEBS camps he had attended when he was younger.

Christopher Newell is now dead.