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	Gone to Water: Xenophon’s Claims of Church Sex Cover-up Proven False, Now He’s Ducking the Issue The Vexnews November 28, 2011 http://www.vexnews.com/2011/11/gone-to-water-xenophons-claims-of-church-sex-cover-up-proven-false-now-hes-ducking-the-issue/ A couple of months ago, SA independent Senator Nick Xenophon denounced a Catholic Monsignor as a rapist under parliamentary privilege. The Adelaide Archdiocese of the Church ordered an inquiry by leading Adelaide QC Michael Abbott into the claims. He interviewed 29 witnesses, “many of whom were present at the time the events were alleged to have occurred” and extensive documentation from the time was reviewed. Abbott is the top criminal lawyer in South Australia, by all accounts, with a big reputation to defend, so few could dispute he’d take this task seriously. He found “no substance to the allegations” raised by Xenophon under privilege. The accuser, a John Hepworth, was invited to participate, attend interviews, provide paperwork but didn’t. Not good. While it’s not greatly relevant to the situation, Hepworth is the Primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, a “High Church” Anglican church that split off from the mainstream Anglican church and has around 400,000 members worldwide. Interestingly, newly elected House of Representatives Speaker Peter Slipper is Chancellor of the Anglo-Catholic church. A small world. What possessed Hepworth to make up these foul tales and tell Xenophon we don’t know. It’s a terrible situation. The QC found that Xenophon was incorrect in his assertions in Parliament that the Church had inadequately investigated Hepworth’s claims: “He found the matter was handled in a completely appropriate and professional way … and in accordance with proper procedures and sensitivity towards Archbishop Hepworth.” When VEXNEWS approached Xenophon for comment and to inquire as to whether there would be an apology to Monsignor falsely accused by Xenophon and Hepworth, he was uncharacteristically quiet. For good measure, we asked him whether he’d join our calls for ABC/Fairfax to properly investigate the many claims against accused sex-predator and convicted criminal Peter Roebuck. No response on that one either. It is rare for someone to be so comprehensively found out as a fraud without chance of being prosecuted. But the embarrassment is severe, all the same. No wonder he’s ducking and covering. He’s had plenty to say on South Australian water today, water-hogging as much attention as possible, but it seems on the issue of his outrageous accusations Xenophon’s gone to water.
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