Hillsong leaders to give evidence in sex assault case

Senior leadership at Hillsong have been called to give evidence into the case of a woman suing the megachurch over its handling of her assault at the hands of a church staffer.

US native Anna Crenshaw, 26, was indecently assaulted by Hillsong Church staffer Jason Mays when she was 18 years old and studying at Sydney’s Hillsong College campus.

Mays pleaded guilty in 2020 to one count of indecent assault and was sentenced to a two-year-conditional release order but was brought back before the court in a civil suit.

Ms Crenshaw is suing Hillsong over what she alleges was harm as a result of the church’s negligence in dealing with the assault, with Mays also named as a respondent.

Returning before the Supreme Court on Friday, lawyers representing the megachurch said they would be calling three or four witnesses during a hearing slated for February.

Among those expected to provide affidavit evidence for the hearing is Hillsong global general manager George Aghajanian, who was a national leader at the time of the 2016 assault.

Mr Aghajanian was also called to give evidence into the hearing of Hillsong founder Brian Houston, who was found not guilty of concealing his father’s abuse of a young boy.

Margaret Aghajanian, the general manager’s wife, former head of pastoral care at Hillsong and the “individual who disclosed the assault” will also provide an affidavit.

Former Hillsong College chaplain, Susan Smith, will also provide an affidavit having left the church, the court was told, as may a so far unnamed fourth witness.

Ms Crenshaw’s lawyer, Samantha Camilleri, said she would be calling one expert witness, one “treater”, Ms Crenshaw, and three other witnesses.

Ms Camilleri was granted leave by Justice Peter Garling to lodge an amended statement of claim after Hillsong’s lawyers rolled back their objections.

The court was told the amended claim “reduced the allegations” against the church whose lawyers still voiced opposition to claims Hillsong was “vicariously liable”.

In her earlier statement of claim, Ms Crenshaw alleged Mays touched her thigh and kissed her before “fondling her bottom and vagina” at another person’s home.

The matter was due to go to trial in May but was scuttled by a since-aborted deal between the parties that Ms Crenshaw claimed was contingent on her silence.

Instead, it will go to trial in February 2025 despite objections from Hillsong’s lawyers and Judge Garling, who labelled repeated delays as “extremely frustrating”.

In its previously filed defence, Hillsong Australia denied it acted negligently towards Ms Crenshaw, with Mays denying Ms Crenshaw’s allegations.