Hillsong Church Founder Brian Houston Acquitted of Concealing Father's Abuse

Brian Houston, founder of Hillsong Church, has been found not guilty of concealing the sexual abuse crimes committed by his father, Frank Houston. Australian prosecutors argued that Brian Houston tried to cover up his father's abuse of a child in the 1970s. However, the magistrate ruled that Houston had a "reasonable excuse" under the law not to report the abuse to authorities. Houston learned of the abuse in 1999 but did not involve the police because the victim, who was an adult by then, did not want them involved. Houston called the charges a "targeted attack" and expressed relief at being cleared, while the victim expressed disappointment in the court's decision.