Major admits Salvation Army treatment of child sex abuse complaints 'pathetic'

ABC News
April 14, 2014

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-14/major-admits-salvation-army-treatment-of-child-sex/5389786?section=nsw

Major Peter Farthing was chair of the Personal Injuries Complaints Committee assessing claims of child sexual abuse from 2005 to 2009. He's admitted some of their decisions were 'pathetic', and that in at least one instance of correspondence with a victim of child sexual abuse, the Salvation Army was trying to cover itself legally. At one point in the hearings, Major Farthing asked the Salvation Army's lawyer to 'remind him' to review whether an extra payment should be offered to one victim who was raped as a child and had bricks tied to his feet before he was thrown into a swimming pool.

Transcript

MARK COLVIN: A former head of the Salvation Army committee that assessed claims of child sexual abuse has admitted that some of their decisions were 'pathetic', 'disbelieving', and 'mean-spirited'.

Major Peter Farthing also told the child abuse Royal Commission that in at least one instance of correspondence with a victim, the Salvation Army was trying to cover itself legally.

At one point in the hearings, Major Farthing asked the Salvation Army's lawyer to 'remind him' to review whether an extra payment should be offered to one victim who had bricks tied to his feet before being thrown into a swimming pool.

Sarah Dingle reports.

SARAH DINGLE: Major Peter Farthing notched up 36 years with the Salvation Army last January. He's held senior leadership positions, including chair of the Personal Injuries Complaints Committee, or PICC, from 2005 to 2009.

As chair of the PICC he presided over the vast majority of victims complaints that came to the Salvation Army. Payments were calculated using a matrix.

Major Farthing confirmed to Counsel Assisting Simeon Beckett that the matrix allocated money depending on what kind of abuse was suffered.