Brian Houston was “shocked” when he was confronted with details of his father’s sexual abuse of a young boy, a court has heard.
The Hillsong founder and celebrity pastor is standing trial in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court where he has denied failing to disclose to police his knowledge of his father Frank Houston’s rape of a then seven-year-old boy in the 1970s.
Brett Sengstock was sexually assaulted inside his family’s Coogee home by Frank Houston and says he was then “paid” for his “silence”.
Mr Houston, 68, has pleaded not guilty to one charge of concealing a serious indictable offence and argued that he was abiding by the wishes of Mr Sengstock, who expressed a desire not to go to authorities.
His defence also argues he made numerous media statements about his father’s crimes and it was known by tens of thousands of people, including police.
The court has heard Frank Houston’s offending first came to the attention of the church in October 1999 when Mr Sengstock’s mother disclosed the matter to travelling evangelical pastor Kevin “Mad Dog” Mudford.
Mr Mudford then phoned George Aghajanian, the general manager of the Hills Christian Life Centre, of which Brian Houston was the senior pastor.
The Hills Christian Life Centre would later merge with the Sydney Christian Life Centre to become Hillsong.
“(Mr Mudford) started to make some allegations against Frank Houston … One of the people in attendance at a meeting approached him and made some allegations about Frank Houston abusing her son or child some 30 years prior and he contacted us,” Mr Aghajanian told the court on Wednesday.
“He made the allegations that we knew about this matter and we were covering it up.
“I assured him that wasn’t the case and I’d never heard anything of that nature.”
The court has heard Frank Houston was dismissed from the church in late 1999 after having his credentials removed by his son Brian.
Brian Houston was told of the allegations by Mr Aghajanian at a meeting just hours after the general manager’s phone call with Mr Mudford.
“How did Brian appear?” Crown prosecutor Gareth Harrison asked.
“He was shocked,” Mr Aghajanian said.
“He had a shocked expression on his face. I left that meeting believing it was the first time he had experienced something like that.”
The hearing continues on Wednesday.