Brian Houston will return to court this week as his long-running trial over allegations that he failed to disclose his father’s rape of a schoolboy over 40 years ago draws to a close.
Mr Houston, 69, last year stood trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court having pleaded not guilty to one count of concealing the serious indictable offence of another person.
The matter will return to court on Thursday for closing submissions from both the prosecution and Mr Houston’s counsel before Magistrate Gareth Christofi hands down his judgment at a later date.
The prosecution has alleged that from September 1999 onwards, Mr Houston had knowledge that his late father Frank Houston had sexually assaulted a seven-year-old boy in January 1970 – and that he failed to disclose it to police.
Both the Crown prosecution and Mr Houston’s defence agree that victim Brett Sengstock was sexually assaulted by Frank Houston, who was staying at his family’s Coogee home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs at the time.
Mr Houston has argued through his barrister Phillip Boulten that he had a “reasonable excuse” not to go to authorities.
And the Hillsong founder has told the court that Mr Sengstock told him during a meeting that he did not want to go to police and that he was merely abiding by his father’s victim’s wishes.
Mr Sengstock told the court that during a meeting with Frank Houston at a western Sydney McDonald’s he was told to sign his name on a napkin and was offered $10,000.
Mr Sengstock previously told the court: “Quite frankly, I was paid for my silence”.
He further told the court that during a phone call with Brian Houston he was told: “Do you know this is all your fault” and “you tempted my father”.
However, Mr Houston has denied ever blaming Mr Sengstock for his father’s abuse, the court heard.
“And I say, as strongly as I can, I did not say that,” Mr Houston told the court during his evidence.
Mr Sengstock did not reveal the abuse until he told his mother, Rose Hardingham, when he was 16-years-old.
Then in mid-1998, Mr Sengstock’s mother, Rose Hardingham, disclosed her son’s abuse at Frank Houston’s hands to pastor Barbara Taylor and later to pastor Kevin “Mad Dog” Mudford, the court has heard
In late 1998 the church announced that Frank would hand over his church to his son in May 1999.
Frank Houston had his credential as a pastor ripped up by the national executive of the church, however the court has heard that he preached at several churches after being banned.
The Assemblies of God in December 2001 sent a letter to all ordained pastors in which they said that Frank Houston’s credentials had been removed because of a “serious moral failure”.
Mr Houston has stated in interviews, and in his evidence to the court, that he did not go to police because he had been instructed by Mr Sengstock that he did not want authorities involved.
However, Mr Sengstock denied ever telling Mr Houston that he did not want to take part in police or church investigations.
“You said ‘I’m angry my mother has told anyone, I didn’t want it to be made public’,” Mr Boulten asked.
“That’s not any conversation that I had with him that I can recall,” Mr Sengstock said during his evidence.
“You said to him ‘I don’t want this to happen, I just want to get on with my life’,” Mr Boulten said.
“Disagree,” Mr Sengstock said.
Mr Houston has argued that before his father’s death in November 2004, there were tens of thousands of people who learned of Frank Houston’s paedophilia after he made several public statements – including at the 2002 Hillsong conference.
In a video played during the trial and released by the court, Mr Houston addresses the Hillsong Conference at Sydney’s SuperDome in 2002 and talks to the 18,000-strong crowd about his father’s sexual abuse of the boy.
“And I had to confront my own father, who I loved and still love, and I had to confront him with this accusation. To which he made certain confessions. And I, along with others, had to sack my own dad,” Mr Houston told the crowd.
“And the best way I can describe this, the best way I can describe it, it was like jets flying into the twin towers of my soul.”
The trial is due to conclude on Friday following two days of closing submissions.