Abuse claims inconclusive

THE Presbyterian Church says it has not been able to confirm or rule out the existence of a historic Dunedin paedophile ring.

It follows the conclusion of an independent investigation into the allegations which first arose during a hearing by a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, in October 2022.

During the hearing, a witness alleged she was a passed around a ring of paedophiles while in the care of Glendining Presbyterian Children’s Homes, in Andersons Bay, in the 1950s.

The organisation that oversaw Glendining — Presbyterian Support Otago (PSO), which states it is an autonomous entity to the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) — received three complaints of abuse between 1950 and 1960, and then a further three between 1980 and when the facility closed in 1991.

The abuse allegedly involved Presbyterian Church members, with one survivor alleging she was beaten with objects and tied naked to a flagpole as punishment for grieving her father’s death.

Since the hearing, PCANZ appointed King’s Counsel Kirsty McDonald to lead the investigation.

Having now reported back to the church, PCANZ assembly executive secretary the Rev Wayne Matheson said in a statement yesterday the outcome of the investigation was nonconclusive.

The investigation had ‘‘regrettably’’ neither been able to confirm nor deny the allegations.

‘‘The church acknowledges how incredibly upsetting this nonconclusive outcome must be for the witness who made the allegations.

‘‘We assure you that we will continue to investigate if and when further information comes to light.’’

The commission was told during the hearing that records of children housed in PSO’s care had been deliberately destroyed in 2017 and 2018.

Mr Matheson could not be reached for comment before deadline.