AUSTRALIA
ABC News
Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson has failed in his bid to stop proceedings on a charge of concealing child sex abuse.
Wilson had applied to Newcastle Local Court for a permanent stay on the case.
Wilson has pleaded not guilty to concealing the serious indictable offence of the now-dead paedophile priest James Fletcher in the 1970s.
He is the most senior Catholic clergyman in the world charged with concealing child sexual abuse.
During the hearing, the court was told the child sexual abuse cover-up charge laid against Wilson was invalid as there was no evidence the offence he is accused of concealing ever happened.
The crown asked to admit tendency evidence in a bid to show Wilson’s alleged actions were not isolated.
Prosecutor Gareth Harrison alleged Wilson was involved in paying a woman an amount of money so an allegation of indecent assault would go away.
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