Jehovah's Witnesses destroyed more than 1000 cases of child sexual abuse ...

By Lucy Mae Beers
Daily Mail
July 27, 2015

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3175840/Jehovah-s-Witnesses-destroyed-1000-cases-child-sexual-abuse-1950-protect-wives-Royal-Commission-told.html

The royal commission has heard how Jehovah's witnesses destroyed notes that related to 1006 cases of child sexual abuse from 1950

Congregation elder Max Horley (pictured) told the commission that 'they did not want their wives knowing what sort of things we are dealing with'

Jehovah Witnesses Elder Max Horley departs after giving evidence at the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse in Sydney on Monday

Justice Peter McClellan and Commissioner Helen Milroy headed the first day of the royal commission that took place in Sydney on Monday

'We do not like to keep any notes outside of what is kept on file in the congregation,' Mr Horley (not pictured) said

Counsel Assisting Angus Stewart SC (pictured) spoke at the public hearing into the allegations of child abuse

Jehovah's Witnesses destroyed more than 1000 cases of child sexual abuse since 1950 to 'protect their wives' Royal Commission told

Jehovah's Witnesses destroyed notes relating to 1006 cases of child sexual abuse dating back to 1950 to 'protect their wives.'

The opening day of the royal commission in Sydney on Monday heard that the cases were instead handled internally with the victims asked to attend 'meetings', often with their abuser.

'We do not want our wives knowing our stuff - what sort of things we are dealing with,' Max Horley, an elder for the Jehovah's Witness congregation in Western Australia said.

Max Horley was an elder for the Jehovah's Witness congregation in Narrogin, Western Australia, in the late 1980s when a woman, known as BCB, was interviewed about her relationship with another church elder, Bill Neill.

In evidence on Monday, BCB, who is now 47, told the commission how Neill, who is dead, groomed her from the age of 15. He would tongue kiss her and spy on her when she was in the shower at his home.

When the abuse was revealed, she was asked to attend meetings where on one occasion the abuser joked about what he had done.

Commission chair Peter McClellan asked Mr Horley if he had taken notes of his conversations with BCB.

Mr Horley said he may have but did not have them now, and they would probably have been destroyed.

'We do not like to keep any notes outside of what is kept on file in the congregation,' Mr Horley said.

He said the file notes were brief, and they and others were destroyed because they did not want them to 'fall into the wrong hands'.

Justice McClellan: 'What are the wrong hands?'

'Well, he also said they destroyed notes because they wanted to limit the number of people in the congregation who knew about the abuse.

When pressed on why this was done, Mr Horley said: 'Just to protect them, I guess.'

He said it was not the church's practice to report serious allegations of sexual abuse to police.

BCB told the commission she was never advised to go to police, the purpose of the several meetings with elders was never explained to her, and she was never offered any support.

On one occasion, her husband was warned by another elder about dragging the church's name through the mud.  

The Jehovah's Witness religion has been active in Australia since 1896 with a branch office set up in Sydney in 1904. There are currently 817 congregations in Australia with over 68,000 active members.