Jehovah’s Witness elders told of abuse allegations, but did not tell police, court hearing reveals

Multiple senior members of a church were aware of claims a 30-year-old was abusing a teen, but they stayed silent – now some are refusing to give evidence, a court has heard.

Multiple members of the Jehovah’s Witness church were aware that a 14-year-old was allegedly being abused by a member of the church 16 years her senior – but did not report the allegations to police, a court has heard.

Now as the allegations finally come to trial, multiple members of the church and other witnesses – including a school principal – are refusing to give evidence.

The court heard at least five elders of two South Australian congregations had been told of allegations of unlawful sexual intercourse or indecent behaviour involving the pair.

The church went as far as holding an internal investigation into the allegations and decided to continue to excommunicate the member when he asked to be readmitted to the church.

The allegations emerged during evidence given by an investigating officer before the trial of a former member of the church who is accused of maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a young parishioner allegedly starting when she was 12.

The charges arose from the release of Jehovah’s Witness internal documents to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse which showed an internal investigation had been conducted, but no referral had been made to police.

As part of the trial, which is being heard by a judge without a jury, two former elders of the church have been called to give evidence.

District Court Auxiliary Judge Gordon Barrett heard that other members of the church, including at least one elder, have refused to give evidence in the trial.

The court heard the man, who denies sexually abusing the girl, had been “disfellowshipped” from the church.

The reasons for him being in essence excommunicated from the church were not aired in court – but were confirmed not to involve the teenager.

One of the elders told the court the Jehovah’s Witness church encouraged their members to associate only with each other in order to keep the “cleanness” of the group.

Being “disfellowshipped” isolates members of the church from the rest of the congregation. The court heard that disfellowshipped members could still attend meetings but people were discouraged from talking to them

The man applied to be readmitted to the church and went before a panel of elders.

The court heard that the alleged victim and her mother had made a formal complaint to the elders about the conduct of the man. The teenager told the elders she and the man had sex.

Opening the trial Donna Foundas, prosecuting, alleged the man maintained a sexual relationship with the then teenage girl for a number of years.

They allege the man, aged in his 30s at the time, snuck into the victim’s bedroom multiple times a week.

Ms Foundas allege the visits at the window were so frequent the teenager would fall asleep in the bus on the way to school in the morning.

It is also alleged that the man took nude photos of the teen and took her to a nude beach when she was 14.

The court heard that when the man was interviewed by the panel of elders he admitted “touching” the teenager’s breasts.

He “adamantly denied” any sexual offending towards the teen.

“A phrase that stuck in my head was that there was nothing below the waist,” the elder said.

The elder also told the court that the man had told them he had attended the teenager’s home at night.

“He had mentioned during that meeting that he had visited (the teenager) at night at her bedroom window on occasions because she was in need of like a confidant,” he said.

“These occasions were often for a few hours. Sometimes he went to her bedroom window at night and into her room. At other times she went with him to his house”.

The man had applied to be reinstated in the church previously and it was noted that he had not mentioned the allegations of the relationship with the victim.

“Of note is the omission of the mention of any relationships occurring after his disfellowshipping or of one taking place with (the teenager),” the report stated.

Andrew Culshaw, for the man, focused his questions on the impact of disfellowship – which left his client “distressed” and isolated from his family and friends.

The man was accepted back into the church in 2017.

The trial continues in the District Court.