A day after an investigation by prominent Adelaide QC, Michael Abbott, found there was no substance to an allegation of rape against one of its senior clerics, the complainant, Traditional Anglican Bishop John Hepworth has filed a complaint with the South Australian police. Bitterly disappointed with the Church investigation, Hepworth said he had no choice but Read more
The Catholic Church in Adelaide has found there is no substance to an allegation of rape against one of its senior clerics. The allegation was brought by Traditional Anglican Archbishop, John Hepworth and dates back 40 years to when he was a Catholic seminarian. The investigation, conducted by Michael Abbott, a prominent Adelaide QC, found Read more
The Australian Senate chamber was almost empty yet the independent senator from South Australia knew his words would echo across the country, transforming the lives of two men and perhaps his own. As Xenophon rose to speak in Canberra, two nervous priests were watching him via the internet in Adelaide. Monsignor Ian Dempsey, a Catholic Read more
Senator Nick Xenophon has indicated he might not have used parliamentary privilege to name a priest accused of raping John Hepworth, now an Anglican Bishop, had he known the man was about to take leave. Adelaide Catholic priest Monsignor Ian Dempsey said it was “totally unfair and unjust” of the independent SA senator to use Read more
Though Archbishop Hepworth complained to the Adelaide archdiocese of sexual abuse, the diocesan authorities claim that he did not authorise an official investigation until early this year. The Adelaide Archdiocese has provided a letter to The Advertiser that shows Archbishop Hepworth only signed a request for the investigation in February this year despite receiving a request from Read more
Two letters have been sent to Senate president John Hogg about Senator Xenophon’s naming of Msgr Ian Dempsey under Parliamentary privilege. A Senate committee will consider the complaints. One of the letters was from Msgr Dempsey and the other from civil libertarian Terry O’Gorman who is urging an investigation into the naming of the priest, Read more