AUSTRALIA
Newcastle Herald
Dominica Sanda
@dominikasanda
5 Aug 2016
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in the Newcastle Anglican diocese started on Tuesday, August 2.
Eight Anglican bishops and archbishops, including six current or past bishops of Newcastle, will give evidence into child sexual abuse in the Hunter region during the public hearing.
The commission has already heard from former Newcastle Bishops Alfred Holland and Richard Appleby. Four survivors including Phillip D’Ammond and Paul Gray have given evidence about being sexually abused as children.
Here’s a wrap up of what has happened so far, over four days of the commission:
* There was a full court room for the first day of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in the Newcastle Anglican diocese with lawyers and members of the public standing.
* Tuesday’s hearing focused on Father Peter Rushton and St Alban’s youth worker James (Jim) Michael Brown. Evidence was given by victims Paul Gray and Phillip D’Ammond and Suzan Aslin, the mother of an abuse survivor.
* Abuse survivor Mr Gray broke down in tears as he told the comission that on many occasions father Peter Rushton would cut Mr Gray’s back with a small knife and smear his blood on his back – which was symbolic of the blood of Christ – as he continued to rape him.
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