Brian Houston outside court in. Sydney, Australia in December 2022.

I don’t know why Brian didn’t have a shave for court. Brian looks like a real dodgy crook here. Brian’s hair transplants are looking like long straightened grey-gelled pubic hairs. Myriad of Brian’s planted hairs are falling out.

May 26, 2023

I wrote the article below on December 17, 2022. When I was in Sydney for Brian Houston’s court case. It ran for 13 days from December 5, 2022.

There are two days left on June 15 and 16. During these two days the Prosecution and Brian’s defence barrister, Philip Boulten, will make their final submissions. They have a day each.

The Judgment will follow, probably within two to three months.

Brian Houston is facing criminal charges of concealment of a pedophile. The maximum jail term is five years.

I’m heading down to Sydney from my farm in North Coast, New South Wales, Australia for the court case in a couple of weeks.

It was a bad idea for Brian to go in the witness box. The Prosecution called eight witnesses against Brian.

Brian’s defence lawyer only called Brian. There were no other defence witnesses.

Brian made a complete hash of things in the witness box. Brian lied for 2.5 days straight. Brian’s barrister looked more and more forlorn as Brian ploughed on.

One thing stood out. Brian thinks he’s completely innocent. I doubt of anyone else there did. Even Brian’s wife Bobbie looked very worried.

Blog article December 17, 2022

Was it a good idea for Pastor Brian to go in the witness box?

Australian Cardinal George Pell didn’t go in the witness box throughout multiple court cases. In the end, after 13 months solitary confinement in a Melbourne prison he was freed on appeal by the High Court of Australia.

The reason Pell was freed is that it was his word against a man who was a young altar boy when the alleged sexual abuse occurred.

In Pastor Brian’s matter, the agreed facts between the prosecution and defence are that Brett Sengstock was sexually abused as a child extensively and deeply by Pastor Brian’s father Frank Houston. And it is accepted that there were other boy victims.

Overall, a number of factors weigh against Pastor Brian

Overall, a number of factors weigh against Pastor Brian.

Pastor Brian has admitted he should have reported his father to police

Pastor Brian has admitted he should have reported his father to police when Frank confessed in 1999.

Strong evidence of pedophile concealment

Strong evidence has been presented at court by the Prosecution of pedophile concealment by Pastor Brian.

The defence is struggling to prove “a reasonable excuse”

The defence is struggling to prove Pastor Brian had “a reasonable excuse” for not reporting his father to police when Frank confessed in 1999.

Brett Sengstock denies Pastor Brian’s allegation that Brett told him not to report Frank to police.

Why Defence barristers and lawyers don’t like putting defendants in the witness box

Why do Defence barristers and lawyers not like putting defendants in the witness box?

I can’t say why this is because I don’t want to prejudice the trial.

Will Pastor Brian be found guilty of pedophile concealment?

Will Pastor Brian be found guilty of pedophile concealment?

Having been at the whole trial to date, ten days since December 5, 2022, the evidence is weighing heavily against Pastor Brian.

This is nothing new to me. I’ve known everything that has been presented at trail for a decade. I’ve written about Pastor Brian concealing Frank for a decade, before the Royal Commission. There is evidence and facts I know that would strengthen the Prosecution case which have not been presented at court.

In real time, at the moment, the Defence is struggling to patch together a defence. The Defence has struggled from Day One.

Mr Philip Boulton

Pastor Brian, a very wealthy man, has leading Sydney barrister Mr Philip Boulton as his defence barrister. Mr Boulton is regarded as one of the best defence barristers in Australia. But even the eminent Mr Boulton is having trouble with this one.

The difficulty for Mr Boulton lies with the facts that Pastor Brian did not report the perpetrator to police, the victim says he did not tell Pastor Brian not to report the perpetrator to police, there is strong evidence that children were exposed to Frank at AOG churches where Frank preached from 1999 to 2004 and there is strong evidence Pastor Brian and AOG leaders did not inform AOG congregants of Frank’s pedophilia.

Magistrate Gareth Christofi will decide

It is the job of Magistrate Gareth Christofi to decide whether Pastor Brian is guilty of concealment of a pedophile.

In my view, Gareth Christofi is a literalist and a texturalist.

Textualism is a theory of statutory interpretation whereby judges enforce statutes in accord with their literal meaning. Without emotion or their own emotional or philosophical bias.

Magistrate Gareth Christofi will weigh up all the facts in view of the timelines, history of the matter, and witnesses and apply the law carefully and accurately, without emotion or philosophical bias.

This means that at the end of the day, Pastor Brian’s lofty station in life, money and power or Brett Sengstock’s powerlessness and vulnerability will not alone sway Magistrate Gareth Christofi.

I sense and observe that Magistrate Gareth Christofi is alert, very present, highly intelligent and very able and learned in the law. As is the Prosecutor Mr Gareth Harrison and the Defence barrister Mr Philip Boulten. All three are highly intelligent and great legal minds. After all, this is an important and high profile case.

It is not for me to say whether Pastor Brian will succeed in this matter or whether Brett Sengstock and all the other boy victims will receive justice.

The outcome of this matter is in the hands of one person, Magistrate Gareth Christofi.