Adelaide archbishop wants case against him claiming abuse cover-up thrown out

The Guardian
April 9, 2018

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/09/adelaide-archbishop-wants-case-against-him-claiming-abuse-cover-up-thrown-out

The archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, leaves the Newcastle local court on Monday. He is facing claims he concealed a colleague’s sexual abuse of a 10-year-old boy in 1971 Photo by Darren Pateman

Philip Wilson is accused of concealing sexual abuse by priest James Fletcher after being told about it in 1976

The Catholic archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, wants the case against him involving claims he covered up child sex abuse by a priest thrown out of a New South Wales court.

Defence barrister Stephen Odgers SC told Newcastle local court on Monday that a detailed “no case to answer” submission would be made at the end of the prosecution case against Wilson.

Prosecutor Gareth Harrison provisionally closed the crown case against Wilson after nearly two hours of legal argument on Monday, saying more evidence could be called depending on a number of rulings to be handed down by the magistrate Robert Stone.

The trial, which had been adjourned from December, will continue on Tuesday.

Wilson, 67, is accused of concealing sexual abuse by priest James Fletcher in the NSW Hunter region after being told about it in 1976. Wilson was an assistant priest at the time.

Fletcher was found guilty in December 2004 of nine counts of child sexual abuse and died in jail of a stroke in January 2006.

One victim, Peter Creigh, told the court in December he was preyed on by Fletcher in 1971 when he was 10.

Creigh, whose name had been the subject of a suppression order before he asked for it to be lifted, said he went to see Wilson in a room at the back of the presbytery of a Hunter region church in early 1976 to tell him about what Fletcher had done to him five years earlier.

He said Wilson promised to tell the parish priest about the abuse claims and have the matter looked into.

After hearing nothing for six months, Creigh said he went to see Wilson again, who told him he knew nothing more and the church was still looking into the abuse claims.

Creigh said Wilson never contacted him again.

Odgers said Wilson did not dispute meeting Creigh in 1976 but believed he had a false memory of discussing Fletcher’s abuse.

A second former altar boy, who can’t be named, told the court he was about 11 years old in 1976 when he went into the confessional box to tell Wilson how Fletcher had abused him.

The witness, now aged 52, said Wilson told him the abuse claims were lies because Fletcher “was a good bloke”.

He said Wilson ordered him to get out of the confessional box and say 10 Hail Marys as an act of contrition.