Church leaders defend not reporting pedophile preacher Frank Houston to police: court

Church leaders didn’t report pedophile preacher Frank Houston to the police when they learned of his abuse of a boy in the late 1990s for one explosive reason, a court has heard.

Pentecostal church leaders did not report pedophile preacher Frank Houston to police in the late 1990s because they obtained legal advice telling them the victim was old enough to make his own complaint, a court has heard.

Hillsong founder Brian Houston is standing trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court, where he is fighting allegations he covered up his father Frank Houston’s sexual abuse of a young boy in the 1970s.

He denies failing to report the matter to police and has pleaded not guilty to concealing a serious indictable offence.

Frank Houston raped Brett Sengstock in January 1970 while staying with the then seven-year-old boy’s family while on a preaching tour of Australia.

The court has been told that Frank Houston’s sexual assault came to light in the late 1990s when Mr Sengstock’s mother made disclosures to pastors Barbara Taylor and Kevin “Mad Dog” Mudford.

Mr Mudford, a travelling evangelist preacher, took the information to George Aghajanian, the then general manager of the Hills Christian Life Centre, which would later become Hillsong.

At the time, Brian Houston was the senior pastor of the Hillsong Christian Life Centre, while Frank Houston oversaw the affiliated Sydney Christian Life Centre.

After Frank Houston made admissions to Brian Houston about his abuse of Mr Sengstock, he was dismissed from the church in late 1999.

Brian Houston has denied covering up his father’s sexual abuse of a child. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

However, the court has been told that Frank Houston – who died in 2004 – remained on the church’s payroll until November 2000.

Brian Houston, 68, has argued that he had a “reasonable excuse” not to come forward to police because Mr Sengstock had told him he did not want to go to police.

Mr Sengstock has denied telling Brian Houston that he did not want to go to authorities.

Defence barrister Phillip Boulten has also told the court that Brian Houston had referenced his father’s abuse of a young boy in several media interviews and there was “something like tens of thousands of people who knew Frank Houston had abused a boy or boys”.

Frank Houston sexually abused a seven-year-old boy in the 1970s.

Pastor Keith Ainge was in 1999 the national secretary of the Assemblies of God when he took a phone call from Brian Houston asking that an urgent meeting of the group’s national executive be called.

The meeting took place the following day inside the Qantas club at Sydney airport, where Brian Houston, who was president of the group, handed over the reins of the meeting to vice-president John Lewis.

“(Brian Houston) explained he had been informed of actions by his father which were inappropriate,” Mr Ainge told the court of his recollections of the meeting.

“(And) that he’d spoken to the person concerned and that it was child molestation. The victim was not wanting to have his name released to anyone; he wanted to keep it quiet and he also didn’t want to make a formal complaint.

“He also spoke to his father and his father had admitted he had behaved inappropriately with a minor.

“So he immediately suspended his credentials, which was his prerogative as the national president.”

According to minutes from that meeting, the AOG had obtained legal advice indicating that they did not have to disclose the matter to police because by that time Mr Sengstock was in his 30s.

“There was no requirement to report because the victim was now … old enough to make his own report and indicated he didn’t want a report to be made,” Mr Ainge said.

Mr Ainge told the court on Friday that he could not remember who relayed that legal advice to the AOG national executive but had since learned it was Brian Houston.

Pastor John McMartin says he doesn’t believe he committed an offence by not reporting Frank Houston. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

John McMartin, the former pastor of the Liverpool Christian Life Centre, said he learnt of the matter when he was approached by Mr Mudford and Ms Taylor.

He was also involved in a meeting with Mr Houston and Ms Taylor in November 1999 during which they discussed Frank Houston’s sexual abuse.

Mr McMartin said he felt he had fulfilled his obligations in the matter because he had taken it to the national executive of the Assemblies of God.

“I felt my part was done,” Mr McMartin said.

Mr McMartin told the court on Friday that in 1999 he had been told by Ms Taylor that the victim did not want to be identified or co-operate with any investigation.

“The complainant was completely non-compliant, as in wouldn’t co-operate,” Mr McMartin said.

Asked if he had a “clear conscience about the way you handled” the complaint, Mr McMartin said “yes”.

He added he didn’t think he had committed the same crime that Brian Houston had been charged with.

Mr McMartin was given a certificate protecting him from prosecution in exchange for his testimony.

Brett Sengstock pictured (left) was sexually abused by Frank Houston. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

“You don’t think you did anything criminal in this whole set of circumstances,” he was asked by Mr Houston’s barrister Phillip Boulten.

“I agree,” Mr McMartin said on Friday.

“It follows that you did not report this matter to the police,” Mr Boulten asked.

“How can you report a matter to the police if you haven’t got a complaint?” Mr McMartin said.

The trial continues.