ABC News (Australia), “Uniting Church apologises to victims of sexual abuse, Jehovah's Witnesses defend treatment”
“Because scripturally we're not able to.”
Terrence O'Brien's answer, as reported, when Justice McClellan pressed him on the two-witness rule at the 10 March 2017 hearing. The report also records that of 17 allegations since 2015, 15 were reported to police, and that the US-based hierarchy declined to appear.
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Provenance and verification note for ABC News (Australia), Uniting Church apologises to victims of sexual abuse, Jehovah's Witnesses defend treatment
Confidence note. Article opened; quotation confirmed.
Corroborated by. src-arc-2017-0310-cs54-day259-transcript
Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-abc-2017-0310-jw-defend-treatment