The most senior Catholic to be charged with concealing child sexual abuse — Adelaide's Archbishop Philip Wilson — has been found guilty by an Australian court in New South Wales, in a landmark ruling.

Wilson had concealed the sexual abuse of a boy by a priest in the 1970s.

'Speaking outside court, abuse survivor Peter Gogarty said the verdict was "one of the most significant days in criminal law in Australian history".

"I think this will now open the doors for other jurisdictions to start looking at trying to prosecute people who deliberately looked after their institution and, literally, threw children to the wolves," Mr Gogarty said.'

"On behalf of all of the victims — who have been abused in this country and elsewhere — I just want to say what an enormous relief it is that the people who let this happen are finally being brought to account."

The sentence hearing will be on June 19.

'The prosecution has requested a custodial sentence for Wilson, for reasons of "deterrence" and "denunciation".

Wilson remains on bail on the condition that he attends his sentencing hearing.

The harshest sentence Magistrate Stone is able to give is two years in prison, and he has the option of suspending the sentence.

Survivor Peter Gogarty said that Archbishop Wilson knew as early as 1976 what the priest, James Fletcher, did to him.

"Fletcher was already abusing me by then, but Wilson could've stopped it, he could've got me help.

"We're talking about children being sexually abused and the Archbishop knew — that to me demands a custodial sentence."

The Archbishop's legal team had argued in vein that the case was not 'in the public interest' and that the Archbishop suffered from Alzheimer's. (What is strange though is that he could continue serving as an Archbishop despite of his Alzheimer's diagnosis.....).

The magistrate found the witness in this case, Peter Creigh, reliable. 'Magistrate Stone said he did not accept Wilson could not remember a 1976 conversation, in which Mr Creigh, who would have been aged 15 at that time, described his abuse at the hands of Fletcher. He said that Creigh "had no motive or interest to deceive or make up the conversation".

Magistrate Stone said Wilson knew "what he was hearing was a credible allegation and the accused wanted to protect the church and its reputation". The magistrate said if Wilson had reported what he knew to police, it would have helped in prosecuting Fletcher. "He knew what the young man was telling him was believable," Magistrate Stone said.

Kudos to the Magistrate.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-05-22/adelaide-archbishop-philip-wilson-guilty-concealing-child-abuse/9783612