Priest accused of sexual abuse resigns from his duties in the church

The Anglican priest charged in connection with the historic allegations of sexual abuse at the Dilworth school has resigned from his post at a south Auckland church.

Dilworth’s former chaplain, Ross Douglas Browne, was a vicar at St. Luke’s Church in Manurewa when police arrested him last month.

The 72-year-old priest, who was also heavily involved in Scouts and the Auckland Gang Show amateur theater company, is accused of indecently assaulting three boys between 1991 and 2002.

Auckland Anglican Bishop Ross Bay said he was distraught over allegations of historical abuse at the Dilworth School and expressed concern for “those who are the survivors of that abuse.”

His comments came after Browne dropped his name suppression proposal at a hearing at Auckland District Court this morning.

Ross Browne leaves Auckland District Court today. Photo / Michael Craig

“At the time of the recent police investigation, Mr. Browne was serving as vicar of Manurewa Parish. Advice was received on how to protect the community during the investigation.

“Once the charges were confirmed, Mr. Browne was immediately suspended from his duties and subsequently resigned from his position.”

Bay said the church took the abuse allegations very seriously and has cooperated fully with police during the course of the investigation, and will continue to do so.

That investigation, which began about 15 months ago, resulted in seven former Dilworth professors being charged with a series of felonies following allegations of historic sexual abuse.

The charges collectively relate to crimes against 17 children between the 1970s and the late 2000s.

The Reverend Browne was Dilworth’s chaplain from 1979 to 2006, when he resigned from private boarding.

Along with the church, Browne had a great interest in theater and Scouts; He became Scout’s assistant director in the late 1960s.

In the early 1970s, he also became the founding director and producer of the Auckland Gang Show, an amateur stage performance in which the cast is made up of young people involved in Scouts and Guides.

Scouts Executive Director Joshua Tabor said Browne was no longer participating in Scouts and that support was now being offered to the Gang Show community.

“We can confirm that Mr. Browne, the Dilworth School chaplain, was also a longtime director of the Auckland Central Gang Show, a biannual musical theater production related to Scout & Guide. Mr. Browne held the position for 50 years until 2019, “he said. He said.

“The Auckland Central Gang Show community is devastated by the allegations and is supported by Scouts New Zealand.”

Tabor said police have been in contact with Scouts NZ about Dilworth’s allegations and that the organization was “cooperating with the investigation.”

Alister Harlow is one of seven men facing charges related to historic crimes at the Dilworth School. Photo / NZ Herald

Two of the seven other men who have been charged, Ian Wilson and Alister Harlow, ran the Scout group in Dilworth, but Tabor said they have had no involvement with the organization since the 1990s.

In a letter sent to volunteers, parents and caregivers, Tabor said that both the Dilworth Scout Group and Auckland Gang Show communities were devastated by the news of the allegations.

“While at this time, the police have not shared any information with us about allegations of crimes during scouting activities or the Gang Show, we are working to support the youth, parents and volunteers where these men worked.

He said Scouts NZ’s number one priority was to provide a safe environment for youth and an environment that parents can trust.

“Scouts New Zealand has a strong child safety policy, which is regularly updated to ensure that it remains best practice. Our policy includes protections such as zero tolerance for any questionable behavior, and no leader can be alone with a young person.”

Four other men facing charges related to the Dilworth investigation have been granted provisional name suppression. All seven men will reappear in court next month.

THE DILWORTH ACCUSED
ROSS BROWNE:

The Manurewa man, 72, faces four charges.

• Indecently assaulted a child under the age of 16 between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 1991

• Induced a child under the age of 12 to commit an indecent act with him between January 1, 1994 and December 31, 1994,

• Indecently assaulted a child under the age of 16 between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 1997

• Indecently assaulted a child under the age of 16 between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2002

ALISTER HARLOW:

The 60-year-old Hillsborough accountant faces a charge of indecently assaulting a child over the age of 16 in 1990.

IAN WILSON:

The 69-year-old Maraetai man, who did not have an occupation listed on his charge sheets, faces two charges.

• Indecently assaulting a child under the age of 16 on 12 different occasions between 1979 and 1982.

• Inducing another boy under the age of 16 to commit an indecent act with him in 1977.

FOUR MEN WITH NAME DELETE:

• A 78-year-old man faces three counts of indecent assault, involving two children.

• A 69-year-old man faces a charge of indecent assault.

• A 72-year-old man faces four counts of indecent assault, involving three children.

• A 73-year-old man faces 10 charges including indecent assault, rape and supplying drugs to children between 1985 and 2008. They are related to crimes that allegedly occurred in Auckland and Hamilton.