The founder of Hillsong church, Brian Houston, has told a court he believes his father was a “serial paedophile” and the extent of his crimes may not be known.
Houston said it was quite likely his father sexually abused multiple children and the number of victims would never be revealed.
Frank Houston confessed to his son about one case of abuse in 1999, which occurred in New Zealand several decades earlier.
After the abuse came to light, Frank Houston was banned from preaching, but the public and authorities were not alerted.
Brian Houston, 68, is accused of covering up his father’s abuse until Frank Houston’s death in November 2004, after learning of the crime when his father confessed to him in 1999.
Houston has pleaded not guilty.
“I have no doubt now my father was a serial paedophile and we’ll probably never know the extent of it,” Houston told Sydney’s Downing centre local court on Monday.
He also told the court he did not believe his father remained a risk to the community in his old age due to his diminishing mental state.
Magistrate Gareth Christofi asked Houston if he had any concerns his father would sexually abuse other children after he failed to report the allegations.
“Did you not think, ‘people really ought to know about this … because it’s potentially dangerous’?” Christofi asked.
“At 78 years of age, failing health, I didn’t believe he still was a risk to anyone,” Houston replied.
“Physically he was healthy but his memory was failing very quickly.”
Houston also claimed there was no evidence his father continued to abuse minors after around the late 1970s.
He added that he did not believe his mother ever understood the “gravity” of the abuse carried out by his father.
Houston told the court his father had met his victim at Sydney’s Redfern station and organised to pay him $2000, later topped up with a $10,000 payment when Houston intervened.
“It was his feeble attempt to try and right the wrong,” Houston said.
Houston also said he spoke to his father’s victim on the phone and offered him counselling on behalf of the Assemblies of God in Australia.
“He said ‘I don’t want your bloody counselling’ and he cut the meeting short,” Houston said.
He said he was involved in organizing to pay the victim the additional $10,000 which he did through a lawyer to avoid it appearing like a cover-up.
He told the court he wanted to make sure that in paying the money he was not in any way silencing the victim or preventing him from going to the police in the future.