Australia: Paedophile ring inside Newcastle Anglican Church exposed by whistleblowers

Father Peter Rushton died in 2007 without ever being convicted

The Anglican Church of Newcastle buried complaints about sex abusers, including reports of a senior priest who was part of a paedophile ring that involved priests and lay people.

In exclusive interviews with 7.30, whistleblowers revealed how they have been harassed and had their lives threatened for their work to expose the truth.

"I was subject to a death threat and on advice from the police and with the support of the Church's insurer, they agreed to relocate me and my family for a period of two weeks," John Cleary, the diocese's business manager, said.

His colleague Michael Elliott, the director of professional standards, moved house five times within a year because of weekly vandalism to his car and house.

His family's dog also disappeared.

"Each time they found me and within a very short period of time, two to three weeks, began targeting me again," Mr Elliott said.

Mr Elliott has worked for both the Catholic Church and the Anglicans investigating sex abuse complaints.

He said the Anglican abusers were worse than the Catholics because they cooperated with each other.

"My experience in the Anglican Diocese is that the abusers tended to be better organised, more cooperative … it was a larger scale of child abuse and they cooperated together," he said.  (more...)

Paedophile ring inside Newcastle Anglican Church exposed by whistleblowers