Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston acquitted of concealing late father’s child sex abuse
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Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston had pleaded not guilty over the charge of concealing a serious indictable offence.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston was acquitted by an Australian court on Thursday of concealing his late father’s child sex abuse.
Mr Houston, now 69, was charged in 2021
Mr Houston pleaded not guilty to the charge and stood trial.
Frank Houston, in 1999, confessed to his son that he had repeatedly sexually assaulted Brett Sengstock, when the latter was seven years old and a member of the church where Frank Houston preached.
Mr Brian Houston reported the confession to senior members of the church. But he did not report it to the police, said The Guardian on Thursday.
In 2004, Frank Houston died without having been charged. He is believed to have used his position as a pastor to abuse as many as nine boys, reported the BBC on Thursday.
During the trial Mr Brian Houston, who had learnt about other instances of abuse by his father, said: “I have no doubt now that my father was a serial paedophile, and we’ll probably never know the extent of it.”
Mr Houston maintained that he had a “reasonable excuse” for not reporting his father’s offending to the police as he was following the victim’s wishes, who explicitly told him that he did not want it reported.
During the trial Mr Sengstock who waived his right to anonymity, testified that he never told Mr Houston not to report the abuse. This was a point of dispute during the trial, said 9News Australia.
But, in his ruling, magistrate Gareth Christofi told Sydney’s Downing Centre local court on Thursday: “There is little doubt in my mind that the accused (Mr Houston) knew Mr Sengstock did not want the matter reported to police.
“He therefore had a reasonable excuse for not bringing the matter to the attention of police.”
Mr Houston’s failure to report his father’s offending to the police was not out of respect for Mr Sengstock’s wishes; it was rather the outcome of his desire to protect his family and the church’s reputation, said the prosecutors.
But, this argument was rejected by the magistrate, said The Guardian.
The court had heard Mr Houston told “many people at various levels” of the church about his father’s predatory behaviour and referenced it in sermons, which were delivered to churchgoers.
Mr Houston also discussed it during an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald in 2022, noted magistrate Christofi.
“That is the very opposite of a cover-up,” he said. “He spoke widely and freely about the matter in public settings.”
Speaking outside the courts, Mr Houston said his father was “a serial paedophile” who caused immense damage to the children he preyed upon.
“I express my sadness to Brett Sengstock, my genuine sadness about what my father did to him, and all his victims. He was obviously a serial paedophile. We probably will never know the extent of the paedophilia.
“A lot of people’s lives have been tragically hurt, and for that I will always be very sad. But I am not my father. I did not commit this offence.”
Saying that he felt a sense of “relief that the truth had come out”, Mr Houston alleged that the prosecution had been spurred by animosity towards him and the church.
“As far as I’m concerned, this was a targeted attack. If I wasn’t Brian Houston from Hillsong, this charge would never have happened.”
Mr Sengstock also told the media that the verdict blamed him for the church’s failure to report Frank Houston to the police.
“Frank Houston was no pioneer for Christianity. His legacy remains a faded memory of a paedophile,” said Mr Sengstock.
He added: “Regardless of today’s outcome, I have received a life sentence. Blaming the victim is as repulsive as the assaults themselves.”
Hillsong Church said in a statement that it acknowledged the decision of the court and hoped those affected “deeply and irrevocably by the actions of Frank Houston will find peace and healing”.
Hillsong was founded by Mr Houston in Sydney four decades ago. It has since became a global megachurch located in several countries such as Japan, Britain, United States, and Canada.
Mr Houston was the church’s global senior pastor. But, he resigned in 2022 after allegations that he behaved inappropriately towards two women.
Hillsong is currently under investigations for financial misconduct by the Australian authorities
