A district court jury has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict in the historical child sexual abuse trial of former Mount Isa Catholic priest Neville Joseph Creen.

The 86-year-old faced trial in the Townsville District Court this week, where he pleaded not guilty to one count of repeated sexual conduct with a child and two counts of indecent treatment of a child under the age of 14. The charges stem from alleged incidents occurring in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the complainant was between 10 and 11 years old.

Jury Unable to Reach Consensus

After six hours of deliberation, the jury of six men and six women informed the court they could not reach a unanimous decision. Judge Terry Gardiner subsequently discharged the jury. Mr. Creen remained expressionless as the decision was announced.

The prosecution had argued that Mr. Creen, who was a well-known community figure serving as a parish priest, mine chaplain, and marriage counsellor in Mount Isa, used his position of authority to isolate the boy. Crown prosecutor Andrew Walklate told the court that the abuse allegedly occurred in the private back room of a church where Mr. Creen was routinely left alone with children.

Details of the Allegations

During the three-day trial, the court heard testimony from the male complainant, who gave evidence behind a screen in a closed courtroom. The prosecution alleged that Mr. Creen sexually touched the boy and forced him to perform oral sex on multiple occasions. The complainant testified that he began acting out at school in an attempt to avoid being left alone with the priest.

The prosecution maintained that despite the passage of nearly five decades, the complainant's testimony remained consistent and credible.

Defense Points to 'Frailty of Memory'

Taking the stand in his own defense, Mr. Creen denied all allegations, testifying that he had no recollection of the complainant and had never engaged in any sexual contact with him. "No, definitely not," Mr. Creen stated during cross-examination.

Defense barrister Jessica Horne urged the jury to consider the significant delay in bringing the charges, describing the prosecution's case as "blurry" and lacking physical or corroborating evidence. She highlighted the "frailty and shortcomings of memory" over a 50-year period, suggesting that memories can easily become faulty or reconstructed over time.

Mr. Creen has been granted bail and is scheduled to return to court on August 13, when the matter will be mentioned next.