‘Unfettered and direct access’: Massive penalty for Tas Anglican church that protected pedophile

A man sexually abused by Anglican priest Louis Daniels in the 1980s has been awarded millions from the church’s coffers, with the court finding the Tasmanian Bishop long knew what Daniels was up to.

Disgraced former priest Louis Victor Daniels at a CEBS leadership conference in the 1970s.

A man who was sexually abused by disgraced Anglican priest Louis Victor Daniels in the 1980s has been awarded a $2.39 million payout from the church’s coffers.

The decision, handed down by the Supreme Court of Tasmania on Thursday, comes after a lengthy civil trial waged by the victim-survivor against the Tasmanian Anglican Church last year.

It was the first time the Anglican Diocese of Tasmania had gone to trial since it was established in the 1840s.

The now-defrocked Daniels, who was a prominent leader of the Church of England Boys’ Society (CEBS) in Tasmania between the 1960s and 1980s, is a prolific and notorious pedophile who has been jailed multiple times over the sexual abuse of more than a dozen boys.

He is currently behind bars.

The 76-year-old has not faced criminal charges over the allegations in the current civil matter, and is not a party to the damages claim – with the victim-survivor fighting the diocese instead.

While the church did not deny Daniels sexually abused the victim-survivor, it said it should not be held vicariously liable, and that a deed of release the man signed in 1994 should still stand.

Bishop Philip Newell was Tasmania’s Anglican Bishop for nearly 20 years.

During the trial, the victim-survivor said that agreement was a “deal with the devil” – a $34,000 payout sum from the priest in return for his silence – and to protect Daniels, CEBS, the church and then Anglican Bishop Philip Newell from any liability.

He argued the deed of release was unconscionable and should be overturned.

In his newly-published judgment, Justice Michael Brett found the church, and Bishop Newell, knew about Daniels’ conduct as early as 1981.

While he said it was not certain the church knew about Daniels before he abused the boy for the first time, “there is no doubt” it knew before the remainder of the assaults.

The church and Bishop Newell continued to protect and promote Daniels despite this knowledge, and again after the victim-survivors and other boys came forward to them in 1987, Justice Brett found.

Although Bishop Newell promised to remove Daniels from CEBS, he continued in the organisation for years – keeping “unfettered and direct access” to boys during camps at isolated areas.

Then in 1988, Bishop Newell appointed Daniels as rector of the Burnie parish before Daniels was promoted to Archdeacon of Burnie in 1989, “one of the highest ranking positions in the Diocese”, Justice Brett said.

In 1991, on the nomination of Bishop Newell, Daniels was elected to the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia before he was appointed chair of the General Synod Youth Commission.

Louis Victor Daniels arrives at a previous court hearing.

Daniels left Tasmania in 1995 amid child sexual abuse allegations, taking up another role with the Anglican Church.

Justice Brett said the church leaders were primarily focused on protecting the institution’s reputation, rather than the welfare of the children in its care.

He set aside the 1994 deed of release, and made an order for damages based on a number of factors including pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, past and future loss of earning capacity, and past and future medical costs – to a total of $2,396,531.

Bishop Newell died in 2022 after almost 20 years as Tasmania’s Anglican leader, following his consecration in 1982 – and was awarded an Order of Australia in 1993 for service to religion, education and the community.

In 2016, Bishop Newell was accused of covering up for Daniels, and promoting him within the church, at the federal child sexual abuse royal commission.

The victim-survivor, a man now aged in his 50s, was abused by Daniels at CEBS summer camps at Coningham and during an outing to the Meander River at Deloraine when he was aged between about 10 to 16.

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