AUSTRALIA
The Australian
Dan Box
From: The Australian
November 21, 2013
THE Anglican Church failed to take disciplinary action against three alleged paedophile priests – one of whom was later convicted for indecent assault – despite receiving several reports they had abused children, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard this morning.
All three men were allowed to continue to publicly describe themselves as a priest and attend worship.
One, the Reverend Campbell Brown, had a licence to officiate at church services until June this year, the commission has heard.
The former Professional Standards Director of the Anglican Diocese of Grafton in northern NSW, Phillip Gerber, told the commission he did not report allegations of abuse committed by Reverend Brown to police for over a year.
“I’m not trying to defend myself. It might have potentially … put other people at risk, children and vulnerable people at risk. I’m appalled that my actions might have caused that,” he told the commission.
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