Wilfred Edwin Dennis: Anglican Church sued for $1.5 million over alleged failure to protect boy from convicted pedophile priest

This pedophile priest served time for abusing five boys – now a sixth has come forward, claiming he too suffered, and seeking $1.5m in damages.

A convicted pedophile ex-priest confessed his “unhealthy interest” in child sex to the Anglican Church before molesting five boys but was allowed to continue ministry, a court has heard.

In a Supreme Court lawsuit, an SA man claims he is the sixth victim of repeat sex offender Wilfred Owen Dennis, and asks the Church be ordered to pay him $1.5 million.

In his statement of claim, the now-adult man – who cannot be named – says Dennis abused him “on numerous occasions” between 1967 and 1969 while working as a priest.

The church, he says, was negligent about and vicariously liable for that abuse because, he alleges, it already knew Dennis posed a risk to children but “failed” to act.

“Dennis’ role included providing pastoral care, including the provision of sex education to children in the parish,” his papers allege.

“By 1967, and before the abuse of (the man), the Church knew that Dennis had an unhealthy interest in the sexual development of boys.

Former Anglican priest Wilfred Edwin Dennis during one of his court cases.

“By the time Dennis was appointed to (that parish), he had made known to the Church through his confessor that he had ‘sex problems’.

“The Church failed to take any, or any adequate, action to protect (the man) from the foreseeable and foreseen risk of harm.”

Dennis was jailed for the first time in 1970, serving a six-month term for abusing two altar boys.

In 2010, he was found guilty of abusing a third boy between 1975 and 1977.

In sentencing, Judge Gordon Barrett said he was “astonished” Dennis was “given a ministry” after his earlier offending.

Dennis was jailed for 20 months and, later the same year, convicted of yet more offending against two more boys in the mid 1970s.

In sentencing, Judge Paul Rice said he was “at a loss” why Dennis had been welcomed back to the church, asking if he “simply moved parish and this matter was swept under the carpet”.

Subsequently, The Advertiser revealed Dennis’ reinstatement came after a senior parole officer wrote a glowing letter of endorsement to then Archbishop Dr Thomas Thornton Reed.

In 2011, Dennis was jailed for nine years, with Judge Rice noting he was likely to die in custody given his age and poor health.

“Somehow you were seen as rehabilitated but clearly you were not … how the church hierarchy managed to get to that position is unclear,” Judge Rice said.

Dennis was convicted of abusing five boys.

In his statement of claim, the former parishioner alleges the Church could have, but failed to, protect him, supervise Dennis or “instruct” him “that touching children was inappropriate”.

He claims he suffers ongoing post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety and alcohol issues as a result of the abuse.

He also seeks exemplary damages due to “the conduct of the Church in denying that it did, or should have, known Dennis was unsuitable to be appointed as a priest”.

In its defence papers, the Church denies it owed the man a duty of care and says Dennis “was not an employee” at the time of the alleged abuse.

It says it cannot answer many of the man’s allegations as it can find “no contemporaneous records” of his membership of the parish “despite reasonable inquiries”.

The case continues.