‘Absurd’:Brian Houston denies telling father’s victim abuse was his fault

Brian Houston has strongly denied an allegation that he told the man who was abused as a child by his father,Pentecostal pastor Frank Houston,that “you tempted my father”.

The Hillsong founder has begun a second day of cross-examination in Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court,where he is fighting a charge that he concealed his late father’s sexual abuse from authorities after first learning of it in 1999.

Brett Sengstock,who was seven when he was sexually abused by Frank Houston while the pastor was visiting his family home in 1970,told Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Courtearlier in the proceedings that Brian Houston had told him during a phone call in 1999 that the abuse was “all your fault” and that “you tempted my father”.

On Tuesday,Crown prosecutor Gareth Harrison put the allegation to Houston five times as he questioned the 68-year-old on the details and tone of the phone call with Sengstock.

While Sengstock had told the court he only spoke with Brian Houston once,Houston claims there were two separate calls and that the call in question was “wholly and solely about money” – that money being a $10,000 payment Sengstock had agreed to receive from Frank,but which Frank had not yet paid.

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Brian Houston told the court he was “frustrated” that Sengstock called him about the money because he had wanted to be “at arm’s length” from the payment,but denied that he was angry with Sengstock.

Harrison put to him that “when he asked you about money,you said:‘you know,this is all your fault,you tempted my father’.

“And I say,as strongly as I can,I did not say that,” Houston replied.

Harrison:“When Brett asked you about the money did that make you angry?”

“Not with Brett,” Houston said,adding that he wouldn’t use the word “angry” but rather,“frustrated”.

‘I say,as strongly as I can,I did not say that.’

Hillsong founder Brian Houston,denying under cross-examination that he told a victim of his paedophile father that he had tempted him

“In that frustration,you said to him ‘this is all your fault,you tempted my father’,” Harrison pressed,prompting Magistrate Gareth Christofi to note he had asked Houston four times and he continued to deny it.

“Of course I deny it,it’s nonsense. I mean,who would say that about a seven-year-old boy,or 10-year-old boy,or whatever age he may have been? It’s just an absurd notion,” Houston said.

“I’m putting it to you that you did,” Harrison continued.

Christofi:“That’s number five. He still denies it.”

The hearing continues.

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