BishopAccountability.org

Adelaide Archbishop to learn fate in child sex allegations

By Ben Avery
9News
July 02, 2018

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/07/02/14/32/archbishop-philip-wilson-hours-from-sentencing

Archbishop Philip Wilson will learn his fate this afternoon.

[with video]

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson is hours away from learning if he'll go to jail for covering up child sex abuse by a paedophile priest.

The 67-year-old will be sentenced by a Magistrate at Newcastle Court at 9.30am tomorrow, after already being found guilty of the crime in a landmark verdict on May 22.

Magistrate Robert Stone found Wilson failed to report the repeated abuse of two altar boys by paedophile Priest Jim Fletcher in the 1970s.

One of the victims, Peter Creigh, said he told the Archbishop about the crimes in 1976, but Wilson, who is suffering the early stage of Alzheimer's disease, claims to have no memory of the conversation.

Another of Fletcher's victims, Daniel Feenan, was born in 1976 and said if something had been done that year, his life would have been very different. Speaking to reporters after the guilty verdict, Mr Feenan said he was "very happy."

"Everyone around the world on face value can see that he is guilty," he said.

During his trial, Wilson was accused by Prosecutor Gareth Harrison of being a "consummate Catholic politician" and a man who was part of "an entrenched toxic culture of covering things up."

"The way the accused answered questions, your honour would have serious doubts as to his honesty," Mr Harrison told the Magistrate.

"The accused does in fact remember (the crimes) but continues to cover it up. "(He) was like a cat on a hot tin roof when answering those questions, he ducked and he weaved."

Wilson has stood aside from the role as Adelaide Archbishop, with South Australia's Vicar General Father Philip Marshall taking the reins until the case is over. It is expected that Wilson will appeal once the sentence is passed.

The maximum penalty for concealing child sex abuse is two years behind bars. The prosecution has argued the Archbishop should be sent to jail so a clear message is sent to the community that the court would not tolerate "the endemic and systematic cover up of child abuse."

However, Wilson's lawyers claim he should be spared time in prison due to his age, bad health concern he may be attacked by other inmates.

Wilson is the most senior clergy member in the world to be charged and convicted of concealing child sex abuse and the case is expected to have wide-ranging implications for other high-ranking Catholic figures.




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