Archbishop Philip Wilson An Australian archbishop has become the most senior Church cleric to be convicted of covering up child sex abuse, and faces up to two years in prison.
Archbishop Philip Wilson of the Diocese of Adelaide will be sentenced next month after being found guilty of the crime in Newcastle Local Court in Sydney.
He pleaded not guilty of covering up the abuse of children by a priest, James Fletcher, in the 1970s. Archbishop Wilson (67) was released on bail until his sentencing hearing, which will take place on June 9.
In a statement he said: “I will now have to consider the reasons and consult closely with my lawyers to determine the next steps.”
Reputation
Prosecutor Gareth Harrison had submitted that Archbishop Wilson was involved in a cover-up to protect the church’s reputation and there were doubts about his honesty.
Mr Harrison argued that in Dr Wilson’s mind, victims came second.
Dr Wilson, who is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease but maintains medication has helped his memory, told the court last month during his trial he could not remember Mr Creigh and another altar boy telling him in 1976 they were abused by Fletcher.
The court has ordered Mr Creigh can be named in media reports on his testimony, but the second accuser cannot be named for legal reasons.
Allegations
During the case the prosecution argued that the archbishop had failed to pass on the serious allegations to the authorities after Fletcher was arrested in 2004, he was subsequently found guilty of nine counts of child sexual abuse and died of a stroke in prison in 2006 while serving an almost eight-year sentence.
The defence argued the archbishop could not be found guilty as the evidence was circumstantial, and there was no proof he had been informed of the abuse, that he believed it was true, or remembered being told about it.
Mr Creigh testified that Dr Wilson had a “look of horror” on his face when told of the abuse. He told the court the clergyman took no action and did not tell police.
The other former altar boy said he was about 11 in 1976 when he went to confession and told Dr Wilson that Fletcher had abused him.
The witness told the court Dr Wilson refused to believe him because Fletcher “was a good bloke”. The archbishop ordered the boy to get out of the confessional box and say 10 Hail Mary prayers as an act of contrition, the court was told.
Dr Wilson testified last month that he had no memory of seeing the second altar boy at all in 1976 and he would never accuse anyone in the confessional of telling lies.
Peter Fox, a former police Detective Chief Inspector, who had previously made public allegations that the Church had covered up Fletcher’s crimes, said outside court he was “delighted” by the verdict because someone in the Church was being held to account.