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SA Police investigates events leading to Adelaide accused child sex offender John Mountford fleeing

ABC News
August 1, 2017

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-01/sa-police-investigates-senior-anglicans-involvement-in-sex-case/8762692

John Mountford was killed in Libya in 2009.

Commissioner Grant Stevens has not given a timeline for the investigation.

South Australian Police have begun fresh investigations into whether an accused child sex offender was encouraged to leave Australia by senior members of the Anglican Church.

The state's top policeman, Grant Stevens, confirmed officers were looking at the circumstances surrounding the decision by former St Peter's College priest John Mountford to flee Australia for Bali after allegations of sexual abuse against him surfaced in 1992.

Commissioner Stevens would not divulge the subjects of the police probe.

There have been allegations former archbishop Ian George encouraged Mountford to flee, which Mr George has repeatedly denied.

Commissioner Stevens said police were given "an additional perspective" and confirmed the case had been referred to police from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Mountford was eventually extradited to face trial from Thailand but the charges were withdrawn by the Director of the Public Prosecutions (DPP) because the alleged victim was not be fit to give evidence because of mental and physical illness.

Mountford left Adelaide again and was murdered in 2009 in Libya.

The victim took his own life in 2014.

"In fairness to those who are involved in this investigation, regardless of what's in the paper and what speculation is around, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to actually nominate anybody who might be a subject of an investigation," Commissioner Stevens said.

"The obligation of the South Australian police is to look at the referral from the royal commission as to whether anybody has perverted the course of justice or aided a person who has committed a serious crime to flee justice.

"So we will look at that and we will examine the parts of anybody who was involved."

Commissioner Stevens said he could not put a timeline on the investigation.

"The fact a matter is referred to a royal commission gives a new lens on the information that is available and a royal commission is able to probe in a different way to what a police investigation is able to probe," he said.

The Anglican Diocese of Adelaide issued a statement saying it was aware of reports about a police investigation "concerning former archbishop Ian George, related to school chaplain, John Mountford" was underway.

"It is inappropriate to make comment while the SAPOL investigation continues," it said.

"The diocese remains committed to ensuring the safety of children and vulnerable people, and has extensive screening and training practices in place."

The statement said the diocese reaffirmed its previous apology to victims of abuse and their families and invited any victims who had not made contact to do so.




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