An 88-year-old former church volunteer has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a child at one of Australia's largest Pentecostal churches more than 40 years ago.
Richard Jones admitted two counts of sexually assaulting a child under 16 and is awaiting sentencing. According to The Roys Report, he faces a maximum sentence of 14 years' imprisonment on each count.
The victim, who cannot be identified, told Sutherland Local Court that the abuse began when she was 10 years old and continued over a two-year period.
Speaking to news.com.au, she said Jones groomed and sexually assaulted her multiple times, including during a sleepover at his home while other children were present.
The woman said she disclosed the abuse to her mother when she was 16.
“I didn’t want to live anymore,” she told the court in a statement. “I didn’t feel like I deserved to be happy … I welcomed everything bad in my life because I felt like that is what it meant to be like.”
The victim said her mother reported the allegations to Horizon Church, then known as Christian Growth Centre, in 1990.
According to her account, then-senior pastor John Wilkinson arranged a meeting involving Jones, the victim and her mother, during which Jones admitted the abuse.
The woman alleged that Wilkinson did not report the matter to police. Instead, she said Jones was allowed to move to Perth.
The victim, now in her 50s, reported the allegations again to Horizon Church leaders in 2024. The church subsequently referred the matter to police.
She told the court she has been unable to afford therapy to address the trauma caused by the abuse.
Earlier this year, Jones wrote to the victim acknowledging his actions.
“I acknowledge that I’m the source of your distress and the profound and lasting harm it has caused,” he said. “I should have been the adult in the room protecting you and providing a safe place for you, but I failed you.”
Horizon Church, which operates in three countries and is affiliated with Australian Christian Churches (ACC), said it deeply regretted what had happened and praised the victim for coming forward.