Brian Houston’s Pedophile Father Given Generous Severance Package, According to Testimony
Despite admitting to being a pedophile who molested a young boy, Frank Houston, Brian Houston’s Father, was allowed to retire from the public eye without news of his molestations ever going public and was allowed to remain on the church’s payroll for almost a year afterward, collecting pay and benefits.
Houston is on trial facing charges that he concealed his father’s sexual abuse by not reporting it when he learned about it, as required by law. Houston acknowledged his fault but claimed he kept silent at the request of the victim. If found guilty, he faces five years in prison. News AU reports:
Despite admitting to molesting a child, paedophile Frank Houston was still given a retirement package when he left the church, his son Brian Houston told the court.
Frank Houston was dismissed from the church and his credentials as a pastor removed in late 1999 after he made admissions about his rape of Mr. Sengstock.
However, the court was told Frank Houston remained on the church’s payroll until November 2000.
Brian Houston told the court his father was given the retirement package more than a year after he admitted to the offending.
The court heard the package was going to “financially look after” Frank and Hazel Houston.
“He had been fired from preaching, had his credentials taken, he’d been asked to leave Hillsong … this was an attempt to sign him off as an administrator,” Mr. Houston said.
Crown prosecutor Gareth Harrison suggested he was being allowed to “quietly retire” with no public announcement being made he was an “admitted paedophile”.
“What I’m suggesting to you is, what is clear from this meeting, Frank was being allowed to resign quietly,” Mr Harrison said.
and
Mr. Houston said his mother was “foremost in people’s thoughts” when it came to the financial package, as she had worked her whole life at the church and was not accused of any wrongdoing.
He said he couldn’t explain the motivation of the board, only that they wanted to look after his mother.
Mr. Harrison suggested it was an attempt to “conceal the true reason Frank was leaving”.
“I don’t believe there was any attempt to conceal Frank’s paedophilia,” Mr. Houston said.
“Frank had been gone from the church for almost 12 months.”
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Beyond scandalous. Shame!