Mid-North Coast man Phillip John Burton found guilty in Taree court of child sex abuse

A high-profile Mid-North Coast artist is now behind bars after being found guilty of child sex abuse which a court heard took place in a “religious context”. Here’s the latest.

Mid-North Coast artist Phillip John Burton has been found guilty by a jury of child sexual abuse.

High-profile Mid-North Coast artist and sign writer Phillip John Burton has been found guilty of child sexual assaults.

A jury returned with the guilty verdict in the Taree District Court on Tuesday afternoon in relation to all 16 charges against the same victim.

Burton was taken into custody after the guilty verdict was delivered.

Phillip John Burton is well known for his art and other pursuits in the Taree and Old Bar communities.

He had been on bail and was supported in court daily by his wife, daughter and sister throughout the trial, which started on August 15.

The 67-year-old is well known for his large murals, sign-writing and his kombi and surf art.

Burton is also a regular at local markets, drawing portrait-style cartoons of customers, and he has played the guitar at various gigs in the region.

Phillip John Burton leaves Taree District Court on Friday, supported by family members.

Before retiring to deliberate on Friday afternoon, the jury heard the alleged offending was conducted in a “religious context” and that Burton was a regular at bible readings in the area.

Burton admitted to being a Christian and wearing a robe during a ceremony once, but denied claims made by the victim that he professed to be a prophet who could remove evil spirits.

He also denied telling the victim he could give her an anointed kiss to make her a virgin again and that their relationship had been approved by God after he had spent a lifetime fighting evil spirits.

It took the jury almost 10 hours of deliberation to reach its verdict.

Phillip John Burton is well known in the Taree and Old Bar community.

Burton has been found guilty of six counts of aggravated indecent assault with a victim under the age of 16, four counts of aggravated sexual assault and three counts of aggravated indecency. He has also been found guilty of two counts of indecent assault where the victim is under 10 and one count of committing an act of indecency with a victim under 10.

The charges relate to a range of alleged offending including unlawful fellatio, digital penetration and vaginal and anal intercourse.

Burton is due to be sentenced on November 3.

Editor’s Note: The original version of this article reported that the convicted man once worked in collaboration with the annual Old Bar Beach Festival. The festival organisers have contacted us to state it “does not have a relationship nor has it collaborated with” Burton.