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Court hears priest introduced boy to his abuser

An alleged victim of child sexual abuse has told a Newcastle court a priest from the New South Wales Hunter Valley showed him off to the man that ended up abusing him.

81-year-old Lewis Dominic Fenton, from the Lake Macquarie suburb of Eleebana, is the second Australian to be charged with covering up child sexual abuse.

The retired Catholic priest is accused of concealing two offences committed by another Hunter Valley man, Frank Tully, against a boy aged eight or nine at the time.

The victim is giving evidence at Fenton’s committal hearing in Newcastle local court, and said Fenton introduced him to Tully while he and his family were visiting the Nelson Bay presbytery.

The victim told the court Fenton took him aside and said, ‘show us your muscles’, and said it was like he was being “paraded” in front of Tully.

The victim told the court Tully just said, ‘nice, nice’ as he was told to turn around.

The victim said he was touched and molested by Tully in 1983, once at the presbytery and once at the beach.

Tully was jailed for two years in 1986 after pleading guilty to three child sexual abuse charges, and he died a few years later.

The victim said he looked up to Fenton and that he was like a “father figure” to him.

Fenton has been charged with being an accessory before the fact of indecent assault, and misprision of felony – failing to disclose a serious crime.

The prosecution argues, in introducing the boy to his friend, Fenton knew the abuse would take place.

He has not yet entered a plea.

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