Tasmanian man sues Anglican Church over alleged abuse while a teenager by Father Louis Daniels

A man who says he was abused by a pedophile priest in the 1980s has given evidence in legal action against the Anglican Church in Tasmania. HIS WORDS >>

A man who claims he was the victim of repeated sexual abuse by a clergyman in the 1980s is suing the Anglican Church for the damage it caused to his education, career and relationships.

Now aged in his 50s, the man — who cannot be identified for legal reasons — claims he was repeatedly kissed, hugged and groped by Father Louis Daniels at Church of England Boys’ Society summer camps at Conningham and during an outing to the Meander River at Deloraine while he was aged between around 12 and 16.

He gave evidence as part of his lawsuit against the Diocese of Tasmania in the Supreme Court in Hobart on Monday.

The Anglican St Martins church at Dunalley, Tasmania. PICTURE: SUPPLIED.

From the witness box the man described the allegations — which he says included a sexual assault on his 14th birthday — as profoundly distressing.

“He had a size advantage, I was 14, there was a weight advantage, but he’s also the Reverend Lou Daniels. He’s the man who represents God. It was confusing and it was scary,” he told the court.

In her opening address, the man’s barrister Lesley Whalan, SC, told Justice Michael Brett the church failed to act after being told of the alleged abuse and elevated Daniels to be the archdeacon of Burnie and the chair of a church youth synod.

“He was promoted after it was known by the most senior members of the Diocese that he had a sexual interest in underage boys and he would act on that interest,” she said.

The plaintiff complained to the Anglican Church in 1994 and was paid $34,000 by Daniels after signing a deed of release not to take further action.

Then Bishop Philip Newell did not report the incidents to the police.

“He thought Bishop Newell would do something about it, do something about his complaint, do something about Father Daniels,” Ms Whalan said.

“What Bishop Newell did instead was to move Father Daniels on, moving him to more senior positions.”

The plaintiff subsequently became aware that senior members of the church in Tasmania had known of Daniels’ behaviour towards young boys since 1981, the court was told.

“If they had taken action then, when they knew of Daniels’ crimes, the plaintiff would not have been sexually abused when he was 14 or 16,” Ms Whalan said.

The plaintiff is seeking to have the deed overturned and to be paid compensatory as well as aggravated and exemplary damages.

His claim contends his career and earning capacity had suffered because of the continuing effects of the alleged abuse, including ongoing anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The barrister acting for the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania, Ken Read SC, said many of the facts of the case were not in dispute, including the allegations of abuse.

“The defendant accepts that more could and should have been done to protect the plaintiff from the risks that Father Daniels posed,” he said.

The Diocese would argue that the deed, which releases the Anglican Church from “any and all claims, disputes and further proceedings”, should stand.

He said the $34,000 settlement was a reasonable reflection of what the plaintiff would have been entitled to had he taken the case to trial at the time.

The case continues.

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Originally published as Tasmanian man sues Anglican Church over alleged abuse while a teenager by Father Louis Daniels