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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Ben Doherty

Hillsong’s Brian Houston never attempted to ‘cover up’ father’s crimes, court told

Hillsong founder and pastor Brian Houston outside court in Sydney on Thursday.
Hillsong founder Brian Houston is on trial for concealing a serious indictable offence of another person by not reporting to police his father’s confession to sexual assault and rape. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Brian Houston never attempted to “cover up” his father’s paedophilia, instead immediately reporting his father’s confession to church leaders and banning him from preaching, Houston’s lawyer has told a Sydney court.

And by not reporting his father’s offending to police, Brian Houston was upholding the express wishes of his father’s victim who was repeatedly raped as a boy by Frank Houston, but did not want the matter pursued by “secular authorities”.

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