Salvos didn’t ‘twig’ to abuser’s past

By Dan Box
Australian
April 15, 2014

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/salvos-didnt-twig-to-abusers-past/story-fngburq5-1226885115529

THE Salvation Army helped one of its officers apply to be allowed to work with children a decade after he first confessed to his superiors that he had sexually assaulted a young girl.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has heard that Colin Haggar was readmitted into the church’s ranks, and subsequently promoted, two years after first admitting he abused the girl in 1990.

In 2002, the commission heard this morning, the Army applied for Mr Haggar to be granted a Working With Children Check, without disclosing his previous abuse. Another successful application for a renewal of this assessment was made last year.

Giving evidence this morning, the Army’s former Secretary for Personnel, Major Peter Farthing, said a recent operational restructure meant the organisation had been unaware Mr Haggar had some responsibility for children living in crisis accommodation in Sydney.

“It just hadn’t twigged to us that that restructuring had had that implication. (It was) something we were not really aware of,” Mr Farthing said.

While Mr Farthing said there was no evidence that Mr Haggar had reoffended since 1990, the officer was forced to retire his position late last year, after the commission began its public hearings, and was subsequently demoted.