AUSTRALIA
The Australian
April 6, 2017
DAN BOX
Crime reporterSydney
@DanBox10
Four former Salvation Army officers and one soldier have been charged with dozens of physical or sexual assault offences, leading to two of the men being recently convicted while the others are due to face court next month.
That follows the revelation of horrific evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse about the treatment of children at boys’ homes run by the church across NSW and Queensland.
The Salvation Army said yesterday it was “deeply sorry for the profound impact this abuse and trauma has had on their lives. We also acknowledge we have broken the trust placed in us, which we must now seek to rebuild”.
A spokesman for the church’s eastern territory said it had “implemented significant changes to our protection policies and procedures” since the commission’s hearings and was “not aware” of any other officers or staff currently facing criminal charges.
The commission heard 19 Salvation Army officers and employees had allegedly abused children over decades. A dedicated strike force, run by the NSW police Sex Crimes Squad and which has charged two of the men currently before the courts, is ongoing.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.