Police Alle Hillsong Founder Covered Up Child Sexual Abuse

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) Sydney-based Hillsong World Church founder Brian Houston has been charged with covering up sexual offenses against children, police said Thursday.

Detectives served Houston lawyers on Thursday with a summons to appear in Sydney court on October 5 for allegedly covering up a serious criminal act, police said.

Police allege in court that the man (Houston) knew of information relating to the sexual abuse of a young man in the 1970s and did not bring the information to the attention of police, the police said. police.

Houston, 67, suggested the charges linked to allegations that his preacher father, Frank Houston, abused a boy for several years in the 1970s.

These accusations came as a shock to me given how transparent I’ve always been about it, Houston said. I vehemently profess my innocence and will defend these accusations, and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight.

Hillsong said in a statement that the church was disappointed that Houston had been indicted and asked that he be given the presumption of innocence and due process.

A government investigation into institutional responses to allegations of child sexual abuse found in 2015 that Houston had not told police her father was a child sex abuser.

The investigation found that Houston learned of allegations against his father in 1999 and allowed him to quietly retire rather than report him to the police. Her father confessed to the abuse before he died in 2004 at the age of 82.

Media speculated that the findings of the investigation and the subsequent police investigation were reasons the White House rejected a request from Australian Pentecostal Prime Minister Scott Morrison that Houston be invited to a state dinner. 2019 hosted by then President Donald Trump.

Morrison confirmed that he wanted Houston, whom he had known for a long time, to be on the invitation list. Morrison said he didn’t know why Houston wasn’t invited.

Houston has been based in the United States for the past few months, preached at a service in Mexico last month and delivered a sermon live from California on Sunday, Australian Broadcasting Corp reported.

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