"He never reported the matter to the police, not even after the Royal Commission." "He did not want any civil or criminal action taken against Frank Houston," he said in his closing address.
He insisted Brett Sengstock was "very dogmatic" about not wanting police involved.įrank Houston, who was stripped of his credentials as a pastor for the Assemblies of God, died in 2004.īrian Houston’s defence counsel, Phillip Boulten SC, said Mr Sengstock never wanted the fact of his assault published to the church, the police, or in the media. The prosecutor argued that Brian Houston "felt confident" the circumstances surrounding Mr Sengstock - including the payment of money - would prevent him from going to police or secular courts.ĭuring his evidence last year, Brian Houston told the court he was left "stunned" and "speechless" when he first learned of the abuse. Mr Harrison said the church's culture dictated that things should be kept "in house" and argued nobody could fail to understand the payment was to buy Mr Sengstock's silence. In December, Mr Sengstock told the court that shortly after, Brian Houston told him he would be receiving the money - then a cheque for $10,000 turned up. The court has previously heard Mr Sengstock signed a dirty napkin in a McDonald's car park for $10,000 after meeting with Frank Houston in the late 1990's. "The Crown submits from the moment his father admitted abusing Brett Sengstock, his only focus was to protect the church and go nowhere near the police."īrian Houston knew he could "control the narrative" by not telling the national executive the victim was contemplating going to authorities, the court was told, and "clearly" knew a criminal offence had been committed. Mr Harrison also submitted an "entrenched reverence" to Frank Houston fostered protection of those in power and enforced a culture of silence.
"That culture, in the Crown's submission, allowed the accused to place himself as the only conduit of information between the national executive and Mr Sengstock."
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