Bishop ‘paid $10,000 to silence accuser’

Archbishop Philip Wilson allegedly paid $10,000 to ­silence a would-be complainant against the Catholic Church, a court has heard.

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson arrives at Newcastle Local Court in Newcastle, Wednesday. Picture: Darren Pateman/AAP.

Adelaide Archbishop Philip Wilson allegedly knew about horrific instances of child sexual abuse carried out by a fellow priest in the NSW Hunter Region in the 1970s and 80s and paid $10,000 to ­silence a would-be complainant against the Catholic Church, a court has heard.

Archbishop Wilson, who was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, was yesterday deemed fit to stand trial over claims he concealed the sexual ­assault of a 10-year-old boy at the hands of now-dead priest James Fletcher.

Crown prosecutor Gareth Harrison told the Newcastle Local Court in his opening remarks that Archbishop Wilson, 67, had a tendency to fail to report his knowledge of child abuse to the police and a desire to prevent complaints being made against the Catholic Church.

Mr Harrison said Archbishop Wilson was a young priest at St ­Joseph’s Catholic Church in East Maitland in 1976 when an altar boy told him he’d been sexually abused by Fletcher on multiple occasions in the early 70s, when he was just 10 years old.

Mr Harrison said the altar boy had liked and respected Archbishop Wilson because of his ­involvement in the local youth group and believed he could trust him.

The altar boy claimed Archbishop Wilson was shocked to hear the abuse allegations against his fellow clergy member Fletcher.

“The accused asked (the boy) if he had made it up,” Mr Harrison said. “The accused said he couldn’t believe Fletcher would do such things.”

A few months later the boy ­allegedly asked Archbishop Wilson if Fletcher was being investigated, to which Archbishop Wilson responded “they’re still looking into it”.

Fletcher was never prosecuted for his abuse of this altar boy. He was, however, convicted in 2004 of sexually abusing another boy, and died in jail in January 2006.

Mr Harrison alleged Archbishop Wilson actively concealed the abuse of the first altar boy, even when Fletcher was being prosecuted over another instance of historic abuse against a young boy from the same parish.

The crown case will include evidence of other boys who were allegedly abused by Fletcher at the time who say they also told Archbishop Wilson about the situation and were met with the same disbelief. Archbishop Wilson allegedly told one boy he should be “ashamed of himself for telling lies” about Fletcher and to go and pray 10 Hail Marys.

Mr Harrison also told the court Archbishop Wilson allegedly paid a South Australian woman $10,000 to “stop pestering” him over claims a relative of hers had been abused by a member of the Catholic clergy.

Archbishop Wilson, who is the most senior Catholic official in the world to be charged with concealing child sex assault, sat quietly in court behind his team of lawyers during the prosecutor’s opening address. It is the first time he has faced the charge, which is one count of concealing a serious indictable offence of another person.