AUSTRALIA
ABC News
By David Marchese
A disgraced former Anglican dean facing allegations of child sexual abuse has emphatically denied any wrongdoing to a royal commission during a dramatic afternoon of questioning.
Graeme Lawrence has been one of the most anticipated witnesses at a child abuse royal commission hearing that is probing the response to widespread paedophile activity in the Newcastle diocese spanning several decades.
Mr Lawrence served as dean of Newcastle’s Anglican cathedral from 1984 until 2008 and was defrocked in 2012 in the wake of abuse allegations levelled at him.
Counsel assisting the commission, Naomi Sharp, asked Mr Lawrence about whether he had had any involvement in handling allegations of child abuse in the diocese.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.