AUSTRALIA
ABC – PM
[with audio]
Samantha Donovan reported this story on Monday, September 10, 2012 18:14:00
MARK COLVIN: Newcastle’s Anglican Bishop has defrocked three priests over what he says are “disturbing” allegations of child abuse. The alleged abuse occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. Another priest has been banned from the Ministry for five years.
No charges have been laid but the Professional Standards Board of the Anglican Diocese accepted the alleged victim’s evidence. The alleged victim says he’s relieved that the Bishop of Newcastle has taken action.
Samantha Donovan reports.
SAMANTHA DONOVAN: The Professional Standards Board of the Anglican Church of Newcastle accepted that the former dean of Newcastle, Graeme Lawrence and reverends Bruce Hoare and Andrew Duncan engaged in sexual misconduct against the alleged victim, known as M, when he was a teenager.
Newcastle’s Anglican bishop, Brian Farran, admitted it was a difficult decision to defrock the priests.
BRIAN FARRAN: This is a decision is about the misuse of power. And the complainant was originally a younger person. What I’m, what the decision has been, that’s been taken really says is that people cannot misuse power when they are given a position of great privilege and trust.
And so we’re upholding the sense that everybody has to feel safe within the church.
SAMANTHA DONOVAN: Graeme Lawrence and another priest Graeme Sturt had challenged the professional standards board investigation in the New South Wales Supreme Court but were unsuccessful. Bishop Farran said the board had accepted that Graeme Sturt played a lesser role in the alleged abuse. He’s banned him from the ministry for five years.
In an exclusive interview with the ABC today Bishop Farran said the investigation had been a long and difficult process.
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