Hillsong founder Brian Houston found not guilty of covering up father's sexual abuse

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Australian megachurch founder Brian Houston was found not guilty on Thursday of hiding his father's sexual abuse of a child years before.

Magistrate Gareth Christofi ruled that 69-year-old Hillsong founder Brian Houston had a "reasonable excuse" for not reporting the allegations against his father, late Assemblies of God pastor Frank Houston, he believed he was respecting the wishes of the victim Brett Sengstock.

"There is little doubt in my view that the accused knew or believed on reasonable grounds that Brett Sengstock did not want the matter reported to the police," Christofi said.

Brian Houston, who pleaded not guilty to charges of concealing a serious indictable offense said he learned in 1999 that his father abused Sengstock when he was 7. The younger Houston said he was left "speechless" about the revelation by Sengstock who was 30 at the time.

Sengstock testified that he did not want others to know about the abuse, calling it a "hideous secret."

"Frank Houston was no pioneer for Christianity; his legacy remains a faded memory of a pedophile," Sengstock said. "Regardless of today's outcome, I have received a life sentence."

The magistrate said Sengstock was paid $10,000 after meeting with Frank Houston in late 1999 or early 2000, during which he signed a napkin and was told to contact Brian Houston if he did not receive the money.

Christofi did admonish Brian Houston for being involved in the payment of Sengstock, which he saw as a "hush money" payment than a form of financial compensation for what the victim went through.

He noted, however, that Brian Houston took part in a 2003 interview in which he said his father confessed to the abuse which was reported to church elders and the wider congregation and later discussed in sermons.

The magistrate said this was a sign that he did not try to hide his father's crimes.

"The obvious conclusion to draw ... is that he wanted people to know about it," Christofi said. "That is the very opposite of a cover-up."

During the trial, Brian Houston said additional victims from New Zealand had come forward around the same time as Sengstock and that the full extent of his father's abuse may remain unclear.

"He was obviously a serial pedophile," he said. "We probably will never know the extent of his pedophilia and a lot of people's lives have been tragically hurt and for that I'll always be very sad."